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Kishōtenketsu

describes the four-part structure of many classic Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese narratives. The parts can be summarized as: introduction, development, twist or reversal, and resolution.

Kishōtenketsu as a narrative structure does not center on conflict as part of its structure, especially when compared to common Western narrative structures like the three-act structure and Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey." This has led to the structure being popularly described as "without conflict," although narratives created using kishōtenketsu, such as the 2019 South Korean film Parasite, can and often do contain conflict.

Kishōtenketsu also is not symmetrical in structure in that it deliberately holds back a major story element until the third of four acts, which often changes the genre of the story.

History

In China, this technique is called qǐchéngzhuǎnhé (). It was used in Chinese poetry in styles of four-line composition, such as Qijue. Qichengzhuanhe has been speculated to have originated with Li Bai during the Tang Dynasty, but this would predate the time period from the first mention of this form. This view is backed by Wu Yingtian who cites a four-structure poetry type which included chin (hanbi), neck (Jingbi), belly (fubi) and behind (houbi) attributing it to Yang Zai. It was, however, described by Fan Heng (1272–1330) as methods of writing poetry, divided into four styles: qi, cheng, zhuan, and he. Qi was described as straight, cheng was likened to a mortar, zhuan was described change, and he is likened to a deep pond or overflowing river which helps one reflect on the meaning. The rhetorical style started out as poetry. This later influenced pianwen and guwento and eventually created the baguwen aka the eight-legged essay.

In Korea, the form was called giseungjeongyeol (Hangul: 기승전결; Hanja: 起承轉結). In Japan, it is called , from which the English word derives. In Vietnam, it is called khai - thừa - chuyển - hợp.

Back in China, after the baguwen lost favor with the fall of the Qing Dynasty, and due to its difficulty, a revival of the qichengzhuanhe form came back in popular education, relabeled as "kaiduan-fazhan-gaochao-jieju" (beginning, development, climax, conclusion). Contrary to thought, the structure is not the same as the popular US and European-derived three-act structure. For example, transitions can be anything from a sentence to a full paragraph which contrasts with the five-paragraph essay where one sentence is encouraged for all transitions, rather than a full paragraph. A writer could also can set up a callback to the beginning of the essay. The conclusion is said to need to be quick and one should not linger long on that part of the essay.

This form also was often used in both classical literature and contemporary plays such as Waves Washing the Sand.

Regional variations

Variations of this dramatic structure are based on region due to differences in how the Chinese characters are interpreted per the country and culture.

Chinese

  1. qǐ: start or introduction, usually meaning the reason a thing begins
  2. chéng: meant handling, process, or hardships
  3. zhuǎn: turn, turning point, crescendo
  4. hé: result.

Korean

  1. 기: raising issues and introducing characters
  2. 승: the beginning of the action (but not to solve a problem, necessarily, but usually for self-realization)
  3. 전: a reversal or change in direction
  4. ê²°: the matter is concluded and any lessons are gained through the process or results

Japanese

  1. is : introduction, where èµ· can mean rouse, wake up, get up
  2. is : development, where 承 can also mean acquiesce, hear, listen to, be informed, receive
  3. is : twist, where 転 can mean revolve, turn around, change
  4. is : conclusion, though 結 can also mean result, consequence, outcome, effect, coming to fruition, bearing fruit, etc.

In a story, the following might happen:

  1. : an introduction to the characters, era, and other information required to understand the plot.
  2. : follows leads towards the twist in the story. No major changes so far.
  3. : the story turns toward an unexpected development. This is the crux of the story, the or climax. If the narrative takes several turns, this is the biggest one.
  4. , also called or ending, wraps up the story.

The same pattern is used for arguments. For example, a discussion about the usage of photocopying machines could be analyzed as follows:

  • : Once, it was mandatory to copy information by hand. Mistakes were made that way.
  • : The invention of copying machines made it possible to make copies more quickly and accurately.
  • : In a similar way, cars facilitate saving time when traveling, with the drawback of not being able to take in the local beauty. On the other hand, walking makes it easier to appreciate nature.
  • : Although photocopying is easier, copying by hand can sometimes be better when it aids in retaining the information to use it later.

This structure can be used in yonkoma manga, and even for documents, dissertations, and music. Kishōtenketsu can also apply to sentences, chapters, and even clauses.

The concept has also been used in game design, particularly in Nintendo's video games, most notably Super Mario games such as Super Mario Galaxy (2007) and Super Mario 3D World (2013); their designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Koichi Hayashida are known to utilize this concept for their game designs.

Vietnamese

In Vietnamese, khởi - thừa - chuyển - hợp or khai - thừa - chuyển - hợp (chữ Hán: 起承轉合; 開承轉合) is usually associated with tứ tuyệt poems.

  1. khởi/khai (line 1): introduce the idea of the poem
  2. thừa (line 2): often expands the idea and emotional flow which were introduced
  3. chuyển (line 3): turn, turning point,
  4. hợp (line 4): concludes the idea of the whole poem

Examples

English language resources

Taiwanese-American speculative fiction author and writing instructor Henry Lien has written and lectured extensively about kishōtenketsu, including in his book Spring, Summer, Asteroid, Bird: The Art of Eastern Storytelling, published by W.W. Norton, and in essays for Literary Hub, Poets & Writers, and Next Big Idea Club.

Scientific study

In a study of this story structure in Taiwanese students versus a five-paragraph essay, researchers found that the students familiar with this structure were better able to pick out the main points of the essay, and the inverse was also true. US students could better pick out the main points of the essay when it was restructured to a five-paragraph essay, but not in qichengzhuanhe form. They hypothesized that the structure of the essay also organizes cognitive thought.

See also

References