撞见 (zhuàng jiàn) — to run into (someone) by chance, to encounter unexpectedly; to discover or catch (someone) in the act accidentally

Definition

撞见 emphasizes the surprise of seeing something you weren't meant to see — often a private or awkward moment, stronger than just 'meeting by chance' like 碰见.

verb
to run into (someone) by chanceto encounter unexpectedlyto discover or catch (someone) in the act accidentally

Examples

  • 撞见。
    Wǒ zài chāo shì lǐ zhuàng jiàn le duō nián bú jiàn de lǎo tóng xué.
    I ran into a former classmate I hadn't seen for years at the supermarket.
  • 撞见，。
    Tā zhuàng jiàn le lǎo shī zhèng zài pī píng xué shēng, zhǐ hǎo qiāo qiāo zǒu kāi.
    He accidentally discovered the teacher scolding a student, so he had to sneak away quietly.
  • 撞见。
    Xún luó de bǎo ān zhuàng jiàn le xiǎo tōu zhèng zài qiào suǒ.
    The patrolling security guard caught a thief picking a lock.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

撞zhuàngbump
见jiànsee

“撞” gives the idea of bumping into and “见” gives the idea of seeing, together meaning to run into someone by chance.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
童
童tóng撞zhuàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 扌 is the hand radical, written in full as 手, and the right side 童 supplies the sound.

Open 撞 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 見; 见 is its simplified writing.

  • 目目mùeye
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The traditional form 見 pairs 目 (eye) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a kneeling figure with a large eye for a head. The simplified 见 is a later shorthand.

Open 见 →

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