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碰到 (pèng dào) — to meet (someone) unexpectedly; to touch (something)

Definition

碰到 (pèng dào) is 'to bump into / to come across' — either meeting a person by chance or a body/object making contact with something. 碰 itself is the bare verb; 到 adds the 'reach/into' sense.

verb
to meet (someone) unexpectedlyto touch (something)

Examples

  • 碰到。
    Wǒ zài jiē shàng pèng dào le yí gè lǎo péng you.
    I ran into an old friend on the street.
  • ，碰到！
    Xiǎo xīn, bié pèng dào nà ge huā píng!
    Be careful, don't touch that vase!
  • ，碰到。
    Tā tài gāo le, tóu kuài pèng dào tiān huā bǎn le.
    He's so tall, his head almost touches the ceiling.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

碰pèngbump/touch
到dàoarrive

“碰” (bump/touch) plus “到” (arrive) expresses accidental contact or meeting.

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 →

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
至至zhìto arrive
Sound part声符shēngfú
刀
刀dāo到dào
Same sound today

到 combines 至, meaning 'to arrive', with 刀 as the sound part. The 至 part points to the idea of reaching a stopping point.

Open 到 →
Appears in
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