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碰见 (pèng jiàn) — to run into (someone), to meet unexpectedly

Definition

Means 'to bump into / run into' someone unexpectedly, usually a person. More accidental than 遇见/遇到 and implies a face-to-face encounter, unlike 见面 which you arrange on purpose.

verb
to run into (someone)to meet unexpectedly

Examples

  • 碰见。
    Wǒ jīn tiān zài chāo shì pèng jiàn le yí gè lǎo péng you.
    I ran into an old friend at the supermarket today.
  • 碰见？
    Nǐ zuó tiān pèng jiàn xiǎo wáng le ma?
    Did you run into Xiao Wang yesterday?
  • 碰见。
    Wǒ zài gōng yuán lǐ pèng jiàn le yǐ qián de tóng xué.
    I ran into a former classmate in the park.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

碰pèngto touch or bump
见jiànto see

碰 means to touch or bump and 见 adds the idea of seeing, giving an unexpected 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 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Friends & Social

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