相遇

• Pinyin: xiāng yù
• Hanzi breakdown: 相 = 木 + 目 (mutual); 遇 = 辶 + 禺 (moving along a path and meeting someone)

Meaning

To meet or encounter each other; often by chance or in a particular circumstance.

Similar to 遇见 but more formal, and often implies two parties encountering each other simultaneously rather than one spotting the other. Common in literary narrative, formal description, and reflective writing.

Examples

1. 两人在异乡街头偶然相遇，竟发现彼此是多年未曾联系的旧日同学。 The two ran into each other by chance on a street in a foreign place and discovered they were old classmates who hadn’t been in touch for years.
2. 命运让他们在最不可能的地方相遇，从此彻底改变了彼此的人生轨迹。 Fate brought them together in the least likely place, and from then on completely changed the course of both their lives.
3. 在那次国际学术会议上，她与日后的合作伙伴意外相遇，一见如故。 At that international academic conference, she unexpectedly met her future collaborator and felt an instant connection.

Usage Guide

Context: narrative, literature, social, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我们在机场候机时偶然相遇，聊了整整一个小时，仿佛故友重逢。(We happened to meet at the airport while waiting for our flights, and chatted for a full hour, as if reuniting with old friends.)
• 两列火车在茫茫旷野中相遇，各自飞驰而过，只留下一道风声。(The two trains met in the vast open wilderness, each rushing past the other, leaving only the sound of the wind.)

Don't Say

• 我相遇了一个朋友 — 相遇 is typically intransitive and reciprocal; say 我和一个朋友相遇了 or 我遇见了一个朋友 for a one-sided encounter

Origin & History

相 (mutually) + 遇 (encounter/come across) — encountering each other

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal