Da Vincis vitruvianischer Mensch: Geometrie und Philosophie erklärt

What does “Quadratur des Kreises” mean?

Explaining Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man, the video reaches for an ancient puzzle: «Das wird oft als Quadratur des Kreises bezeichnet» (“this is often called squaring the circle”). The Quadratur des Kreises is the geometry problem of building a square with exactly the area of a given circle, proven impossible because of pi.

Like English, German uses it as an idiom for any hopeless, self-contradictory task: “Das ist die Quadratur des Kreises” means “that simply can’t be done.” Politicians “versuchen die Quadratur des Kreises” when they juggle demands that cancel each other out. A handy phrase for the impossible ask at work.