Definitions
(adjective)
bent; crooked
(noun)
tune; song; melody
(noun)
yeast; mold
Etymology
Pictograph of a bent object.
About
The character 曲 has two primary meanings based on its pronunciation, referring to something bent or to a musical melody. It originated as a pictograph depicting a bent wooden object, a carpenter's square, or a woven basket, which established its core sense of crookedness. Visually, it forms a rectangular frame with intersecting lines. This concrete image of curvature later extended metaphorically to sound, representing the melodic contours and structured passages of music and song.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他唱了一首歌曲。
山路弯曲难行。
这张图有一条曲线。
爷爷喜欢看戏曲。
这首曲调很优美。
不要扭曲事实真相。
你曲解了我的意思。
通过曲折的小径，我们找到了花园。