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.

Example Sentences Hide

他唱了一首歌

Tā chàng le yī shǒu gēqǔ.

He sang a song.

山路弯难行。

Shānlù wānqū nán xíng.

The mountain road is winding and hard to travel.

这张图有一条线。

Zhè zhāng tú yǒu yī tiáo qūxiàn.

This graph has a curve.

爷爷喜欢看戏

Yéye xǐhuān kàn xìqǔ.

Grandpa likes watching traditional opera.

这首调很优美。

Zhè shǒu qǔdiào hěn yōuměi.

This melody is very beautiful.

不要扭事实真相。

Bùyào niǔqū shìshí zhēnxiàng.

Do not distort the truth.

解了我的意思。

Nǐ qūjiě le wǒ de yìsi.

You misinterpreted my meaning.

通过折的小径,我们找到了花园。

Tōngguò qūzhé de xiǎo jìng, wǒmen zhǎo dào le huāyuán.

Through the winding path, we found the garden.