偶发 (ǒu fā) — (attribute) occasional; accidental; fortuitous; (biology) spontaneous

Definition

Adjective meaning 'occasional, accidental' — used for events (events, breakdowns) that happen by chance rather than by design. In biology, specifically describes spontaneous mutations.

adjective
(attribute) occasionalaccidentalfortuitous(biology) spontaneous

Examples

  • 偶发，。
    Zhè cì shì gù shǔ yú ǒu fā shì jiàn, wú fǎ tí qián yù cè.
    This accident is an incidental event and cannot be predicted in advance.
  • 偶发，。
    Jī qì chū xiàn le ǒu fā gù zhàng, xū yào jiǎn xiū.
    The machine had an occasional breakdown and needs repair.
  • 偶发。
    Shēng wù tǐ nèi de ǒu fā tū biàn shì jìn huà de jī chǔ.
    Spontaneous mutations in organisms are the basis of evolution.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

偶ǒuoccasional
发fāoccur

偶 means occasional or by chance, 发 means happen; something that happens occasionally or 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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
禺
禺yú偶ǒu
Same sound today

偶 pairs 亻 (person) with 禺 for the sound. The evidence describes it as a statue of a person, an idol.

Open 偶 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

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