碰上 (pèng shǎng) — to run into, to encounter (by chance)

Definition

碰上 means to run into or encounter by chance — a single event (a person, a problem, an opportunity). Unlike 遇到 (which is broader and more neutral), 碰上 emphasizes the accidental, unexpected nature of the encounter.

verb
to run intoto encounter (by chance)

Examples

  • 碰上。
    Wǒ zài chāo shì pèng shǎng le yí gè lǎo péng you.
    I ran into an old friend at the supermarket.
  • 碰上。
    Zuò zhè ge xiàng mù shí wǒ men pèng shǎng le bù shǎo má fan.
    We encountered a lot of trouble while working on this project.
  • ，碰上。
    Yùn qì zhēn hǎo, yì chū mén jiù pèng shǎng le hǎo shì.
    What great luck — I encountered something good as soon as I went out.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

碰pèngtouch
上shàngup

碰 means to touch or bump, and 上 adds the sense of coming into contact.

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
石石shírock
Sound part声符shēngfú
並
並bìng碰pèng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

碰 is built from 石 (rock) and 並 (bìng); 石 shows the meaning, and 並 shows the sound.

Open 碰 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →

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