屈折

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: Written 屈折 and read くっせつ, it denotes refraction of light and figuratively a twisted or indirect emotional state.
• Basic usage: It explains a stick appearing bent in water and feelings that cannot be expressed straightforwardly.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Optical event versus emotional distortion
  • With a person it is a metaphor for complicated feelings emerging in an indirect form.