逢

• Pinyin: féng
• Hanzi breakdown: 逢 = 辶 (walking/movement radical) + 夆 (to go toward a summit — encounter component) — to go forward and meet

Meaning

To encounter; to meet; to come across (a person, occasion, or situation). Formal and literary register.

Appears in many set expressions: 每逢 (every time, whenever), 逢年过节 (at New Year and festivals), 相逢 (to meet one another). More formal and literary than 遇到 or 碰见. 逢凶化吉 (turn misfortune into fortune) is a common idiom.

Examples

1. 每逢重大传统节日，这个长期旅居海外的家庭都会想方设法组织一次视频团聚，用数字方式跨越地理距离，延续一家人共同庆祝的文化传统。 Whenever there is a major traditional holiday, this family that has lived abroad for many years will find every way to organize a video reunion, using digital means to bridge distance and continue their shared tradition of celebrating together.
2. 自古有言，人生有四大喜事，其中久旱逢甘霖与他乡遇故知均以逢字为核心，意在强调人在困境或孤独中意外获得慰藉与连结的珍贵之情。 As the saying goes, there are four great joys in life. Two of them—“rain after a long drought” and “meeting an old friend in a foreign land”—both center on the word “encounter,” highlighting how precious it is to unexpectedly find comfort and connection in hardship or loneliness.
3. 颠沛流离中，他辗转多城，几度逢难，却也在最难时结识了后来成为挚友的人。 In the midst of displacement, he moved from city to city and encountered hardship again and again, yet in his darkest moments he also met the person who later became a close friend.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, formal writing, idioms, cultural occasions

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 每逢岁末年初，媒体都会做年度回顾，帮助读者梳理过去一年的重要事件。(Every year-end and New Year, media outlets publish annual reviews to help readers sort through the year's major events.)
• 古人说有缘千里来相逢，在今天虽不再稀奇，但真正的相知仍然珍贵。(As the ancients said, destined people will meet even across a thousand li. That is no longer rare today, but true understanding remains precious.)

Don't Say

• 逢 as a direct substitute for 遇到 in all spoken contexts — in everyday speech 遇到 or 碰到 sound more natural; 逢 is mostly reserved for set expressions and formal writing

Origin & History

逢 = 辶 (movement radical) + 夆 (peak component) — to go forward and meet; to come across

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal