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偶遇 (ǒu yù) — to run into (someone by chance), to encounter (a situation unexpectedly)

Definition

偶遇 (ǒuyù) is a formal verb for running into someone or encountering something by chance — emphasizes the unplanned, unexpected nature of the meeting, more literary than 遇见.

verb
to run into (someone by chance)to encounter (a situation unexpectedly)

Examples

  • 偶遇。
    Zuó tiān wǒ zài jiē shàng ǒu yù le yí wèi lǎo péng you.
    Yesterday I ran into an old friend on the street.
  • 偶遇。
    Zhè cì lǚ xíng zhōng wǒ men ǒu yù le hǎn jiàn de bào fēng xuě.
    During this trip we encountered a rare blizzard.
  • 偶遇。
    Tā méi xiǎng dào huì zài tú shū guǎn ǒu yù nà ge zuò jiā.
    He didn't expect to run into that writer at the library.

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ǒuby chance
遇yùencounter

偶 means by chance, and 遇 means to encounter, so 偶遇 means to run into someone unexpectedly.

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 →

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
禺
禺yú遇yù
Same sound today

遇 combines 辶, a walking-related part, with 禺, which gives the sound. The 辶 part shows that the meaning involves walking or moving.

Open 遇 →
Appears in
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