起承転結

起承転結

Japanese

Kanji in this term
起	承	転	結
き Grade: 3	しょう Grade: 5	てん Grade: 3	けつ Grade: 4
on’yomi

Etymology

Initial syllables or characters of 起句 (kiku, “opening”) + 承句 (shōku, “development”) + 転句 (tenku, “twist”) + 結句 (kekku, “conclusion”). Compare Chinese 起承转合 (qǐchéngzhuǎnhé).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kʲiɕo̞ːtẽ̞ŋke̞t͡sɨᵝ]

Noun

起承転結 (hiragana きしょうてんけつ, rōmaji kishōtenketsu)

1. The structure of a narrative, with introduction, development, and conclusion.
2. A type of four-line poem (compare 絶句 (zekku)).
3. A standard four-part structure of Chinese or Japanese literature.