起承転結 (Kishōtenketsu) is a 4-act plot structure

Unlike the three-act plot structure, 起承転結 (Kishōtenketsu) divides a story into four acts or parts. It's very common in Asian storytelling.

The acts are the following:

• 起 (ki), the beginning. Topic toss or introduction.
• 承 (shō), the development from the introduction towards the twist. Major changes do not occur.
• 転 (ten), the twist or turn to a new topic. This is the climax of the story.
• 結 (ketsu), the ending or reconciliation.

This structure is used not only in literature, but in films, comics, etc. An example is 四コマ (Yonkoma) manga, which is a comic strip that uses four panels.

An example of 起承転結 is the film 君の名は (Your Name), by Makoto Shinkai:

• 起: Mitsuha, a high school student in a rural area, gets introduced.
• 承: There's a body swap between Mitsuha and Taki, a boy who lives in Tokyo.
• 転: Taki discovers the truth about Mitsuha and her village —Mitsuha is in a timeline in the past, and her village gets destroyed by a meteor.
• 結: Mitsuha's timeline gets modified and the people in her village evacuate on time, but Mitsuha and Taki forget about each other until they meet by chance in Tokyo.