Structured surfaces leverage interfacial energy for directional liquid manipulation without external power, showing tremendous potential in microfluidics, green energy and biomedical applications. While the interplay of interfacial energy between solid surfaces and liquids is crucial for liquid manipulation, a systematic understanding of how the balance in liquid-solid interfacial energy affects liquid behaviors remains lacking. Here, using the curvature-ratchet surface as a generic example, we reveal the complex directional liquid dynamics inherent in the subtle regulation of liquid-solid interfacial energy. We show that curvature and tilt features regulate Laplace pressure asymmetry to enable directional, bidirectional and reverse liquid manipulation. These processes can be modulated by surface free energy and liquid surface tension, and we define their ratio as a new dimensionless number