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遇见 (yù jiàn) — to meet (by chance), to come across

Definition

遇见 means to meet someone by chance, unexpectedly. It is close to 碰见 and 遇到; 见面 is a planned, in-person meeting, while 见 alone is broader ('to see' or 'to meet').

verb
to meet (by chance)to come across
Easily confused

Examples

  • 遇见。
    Wǒ zài jiē shàng yù jiàn le yí gè lǎo péng you.
    I ran into an old friend on the street.
  • 遇见？
    Nǐ yù jiàn guò zhè me kāi xīn de rén ma?
    Have you ever met such a happy person?
  • 遇见。
    Tā xī wàng néng yù jiàn yí gè xǐ huan yīn yuè de rén.
    He hopes to meet someone who likes music.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

遇yùencounter
见jiànsee

遇 (encounter) plus 见 (see) gives meeting 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
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 →

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
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