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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing "spiral" with 螺旋 (luóxuán)

    Description & Modification
    Topic & Focus

    Structure

    Adjective + 螺旋 / 螺旋 + Noun

    Explanation

    The noun 螺旋 (luóxuán) means "spiral" and describes a shape or pattern that winds around a center point. It is frequently used in figurative expressions like 下行螺旋 (downward spiral) or 螺旋上升 (spiraling upward) to describe accelerating trends.

    Examples

    • 楼梯是螺旋形的，走起来有点晕。

      Lóutī shì luóxuán xíng de, zǒu qǐlái yǒudiǎn yūn.

      The staircase is spiral-shaped, and walking on it makes you a bit dizzy.

    • 经济陷入了下行螺旋，很难短期恢复。

      Jīngjì xiànrùle xiàxíng luóxuán, hěn nán duǎnqī huīfù.

      The economy fell into a downward spiral, making it hard to recover in the short term.

    • DNA的结构就像一个双螺旋。

      DNA de jiégòu jiù xiàng yí gè shuāng luóxuán.

      The structure of DNA is like a double helix.

    Expressing "spiral" with 螺旋 (luóxuán) | Chinese Grammar