Chinese word

转折

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhuǎn zhé

Meaning

  • nounturning point

Example

比赛在最后一刻出现了转折。bǐ sài zài zuì hòu yí kè chū xiàn le zhuǎn zhé

The game reached a turning point at the last moment.

Illustration for 转折 (turning point)

More examples

电影结尾的转折让观众重新思考整部影片。diàn yǐng jié wěi de zhuǎn zhé ràng guān zhòng chóng xīn sī kǎo zhěng bù yǐng piàn

The plot twist at the end of the movie made viewers rethink the entire film.

Core concept

A course of events bends onto a new path at a noticeable moment.

Common phrases

  • 剧情转折jù qíng zhuǎn zhé

    plot twist

  • 局势转折jú shì zhuǎn zhé

    turning point in the situation

Similar words

变化biàn huà: A change in how something is, looks, or happens.
转变zhuǎn biàn: A shift from one state or quality to a different one.
转折点zhuǎn zhé diǎn: A key point at which the course or result of events changes.
转机zhuǎn jī: A favorable chance for a situation to take a better turn.

Definition in Chinese

指事情、情节或局势在某一时点出现明显变化，方向或结果发生转变的节点。zhǐ shì qíng qíng jié huò jú shì zài mǒu yì shí diǎn chū xiàn míng xiǎn biàn huà fāng xiàng huò jié guǒ fā shēng zhuǎn biàn de jié diǎn

Word origin

转 (zhuǎn, "turn") + 折 (zhé, "bend") presents a course of events as bending away from its earlier direction.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, this noun usually marks a major change in a story or situation, so applying it to a tiny shift can sound overstated.

Other meanings

  • turnnoun
  • twistnoun

Opposites

  • 稳定性wěn dìng xìngstabilitynoun

Related words

Word lists with this word