Hanzi Now
起承转合
起承转合
起承转合
起承转合
起承转合
起承转合
起承转合
起承转合

起承转合 — “The four steps of classical Chinese essay composition: introduction”

起承转合 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the four steps of classical Chinese essay composition: introduction”. Development, transition, and conclusion. It generally refers to the structure of writing, or metaphorically, a rigid and formulaic approach. Literally, “opening, development, transition, conclusion”.

Frequency

起承转合 Pronunciation and Pinyin

起承转合 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
起		qǐ10to rise, start, or begin
承		chéng8to bear, receive, or continue
转		zhuǎn8turn, rotate, change, transfer
合		hé6combine, fit, or total

Example Sentence with 起承转合

这篇报告的结构清晰，遵循了起承转合的写作原则，让人读起来一目了然。
The structure of this report is clear, following the principles of introduction, development, transition, and conclusion, making it very easy to understand.

Idioms Related to 起承转合

Synonyms of 起承转合

More idioms starting with 起

Recommended tools

Character Highlight Animator

Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order

Open the tool →

Writing Worksheets

Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion

Open the tool →

Stroke Order Animator

Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4

Open the tool →

Bingo Cards

Picture and word Bingo for your class

Open the tool →

Questions about 起承转合

What does 起承转合 mean?

起承转合 (qǐ chéng zhuǎn hé) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the four steps of classical Chinese essay composition: introduction”.

How do you pronounce 起承转合?

起承转合 is pronounced qǐ chéng zhuǎn hé in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 起承转合 literally mean?

Literally, 起承转合 means “opening, development, transition, conclusion”. It is used to mean “the four steps of classical Chinese essay composition: introduction”.

What is the Chinese definition of 起承转合?

起：开头；承：承接上文加以申述；转：转折；合：结束。泛指文章的做法。也比喻固定呆板的形式。