会晤

• Pinyin: huì wù
• Hanzi breakdown: 会 = 人 + 云 (to meet/gather); 晤 = 日 + 吾 (sun/day + I/me, to meet face to face — originally at daylight)

Meaning

To hold a formal meeting or discussion, especially between heads of state, senior officials, or high-level dignitaries.

The most formal of the 'meeting' words, reserved almost exclusively for official diplomatic or high-level governmental encounters. Appears frequently in news reports about summits and bilateral meetings. More formal than 会面 or 见面 and carries strong political and diplomatic connotations.

Examples

1. 两国元首在联合国大会期间举行了正式会晤，就双边关系和全球治理议题深入交换意见。 During the UN General Assembly, the two heads of state held a formal meeting and exchanged views in depth on bilateral relations and global governance issues.
2. 外交部发言人证实，双方将于本周在日内瓦举行新一轮高级别会晤，以推进谈判进程。 A Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed that the two sides will hold a new round of high-level talks in Geneva this week to move negotiations forward.
3. 这是两位领导人自去年签署联合声明以来的首次面对面会晤，外界对此高度关注。 This is the leaders’ first face-to-face meeting since they signed a joint statement last year, and it has drawn close attention from the outside world.

Usage Guide

Context: diplomacy, politics, international relations

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 此次双边会晤是在两国关系持续紧张的背景下举行的，国际社会普遍期待双方能够通过对话化解分歧，推动局势降温。(This bilateral meeting is taking place against a backdrop of sustained tension in relations between the two countries; the international community widely hopes that both sides can resolve their differences through dialogue and help ease the situation.)
• 两位领导人在会晤期间就共同关心的多项议题坦诚交流，并同意在多个领域深化务实合作，推进两国关系向前发展。(The two leaders engaged in candid exchanges on a number of issues of mutual concern during the meeting, and agreed to deepen practical cooperation in several areas to advance the forward development of bilateral relations.)

Don't Say

• 会晤 for ordinary social meetings or business encounters — use 会面 or 见面; 会晤 is strictly reserved for formal, high-level official or diplomatic meetings

Origin & History

会 (meet) + 晤 (meet face to face/converse) — a formal face-to-face meeting between principals

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal