遇

• Pinyin: yù
• Hanzi breakdown: 遇 = 辶 (walk/movement) + 禺 (phonetic), to encounter while travelling

Meaning

To meet; to encounter; to come across. To happen upon something or someone, often unexpectedly.

Used both for meeting people and for encountering situations, events, or obstacles. Often implies an unplanned or fortuitous meeting. Can be used alone or as the base for 遇到 and 遇见. Also carries the meaning of being treated in a certain way: 待遇 (treatment/pay).

Examples

1. 他出差途中遇到了一场突如其来的暴风雪，航班被迫延误。 On a business trip, he encountered a sudden blizzard, and the flight was forced to be delayed.
2. 在异乡偶然遇到老朋友，两人都感到十分惊喜。 Unexpectedly running into an old friend in a foreign place, both of them were pleasantly surprised.
3. 她在二手书市场偶然遇到了一本多年来一直想找的旧书。 She happened upon a second-hand book at a book fair that she had been looking for for many years.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, literary

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我在路上遇到了一位需要帮助的老人。(I encountered an elderly person on the road who needed help.)
• 他这次出差运气不好，遇上了糟糕的天气。(He had bad luck on this business trip and ran into terrible weather.)

Don't Say

• 将'遇'用于有目的性的见面或约定的约会 (Don't use 遇 for planned, intentional meetings — it implies an unplanned or coincidental encounter; use 见面 or 约好 for arranged meetings)

Origin & History

The character 遇 is composed of 辶 (the walk/movement radical) and 禺 (a phonetic component). The combination suggests coming upon something while on a journey.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal