Yu Yuan 豫园
Inscription
峰回路转

In Simplified characters reading left to right the above inscription is 峰回路转 Fēng huí lù zhuǎn. In Traditional characters it is 峰廽路转. Literally, Fēng = peak; huí = circle, wind, turn around; lù = road, path; 转 = turn, revolve, rotate.

It is an idiom that means roughly: When faced with a mountain, turns and winding roads may take you to your goal. When one is  in a very difficult situation like no job, no money, getting ill and has no one to rely on, he is saved unexpectedly by God, good luck or the super man. For instance, you survive a bankruptcy  because of unexpected help from someone you don't know or by the fortuitous change in the stock market.  It is a message of hope in the face of despair; it is a message of belief in God, Karma, fate, luck, or the ultimate balance of life between the good and the bad. We say it much less poetically, "Your luck will turn, it has to."





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Last update: February 2007
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