起承転結

Japanese

Kanji in this term
起	承	転	結
き Grade: 3	しょう Grade: 6	てん Grade: 3	けつ Grade: 4
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
起承轉結 (kyūjitai)

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): [kʲiɕo̞ːtẽ̞ŋke̞t͡sɨ]

Noun

起(き)承(しょう)転(てん)結(けつ) • (kishōtenketsu) 

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