Chinese word

巧

Pronunciation

Pinyinqiǎo

Meaning

  • adjectivecoincidental

Example

真巧，你也在这里。zhēn qiǎo nǐ yě zài zhè lǐ

It is quite a coincidence that you are here too.

Illustration for 巧 (coincidental)

More examples

我们碰面真巧，大家都没有提前通知。wǒ men pèng miàn zhēn qiǎo dà jiā dōu méi yǒu tí qián tōng zhī

It's such a coincidence that we ran into each other; no one told us in advance.

Core concept

A neat fit between people, events, or circumstances, found either through deft skill or by chance.

Common phrases

  • 真巧zhēn qiǎo

    what a coincidence

  • 太巧了tài qiǎo le

    such a coincidence

  • 很巧hěn qiǎo

    quite a coincidence

Similar words

正好zhèng hǎo: Describes something happening at exactly the right time or under exactly the right conditions.
刚好gāng hǎo: Describes a time, amount, or result that fits precisely.
偶然ǒu rán: Describes something occurring by chance rather than as planned.

Definition in Chinese

可用作形容词或感叹词，表示某件事正好发生或双方情况一致，强调偶然性且常带有惊讶的语气。kě yòng zuò xíng róng cí huò gǎn tàn cí biǎo shì mǒu jiàn shì zhèng hǎo fā shēng huò shuāng fāng qíng kuàng yí zhì qiáng diào ǒu rán xìng qiě cháng dài yǒu jīng yà de yǔ qì

Word origin

巧 (qiǎo, "skillful") originally describes deft and effective ability, and its sense of a good fit extends to circumstances that happen to line up.

Usage tips

  • English often treats a coincidence as a noun, while this everyday Chinese word can describe a situation or serve as a brief reaction, often with surprise.

Other meanings

  • cleveradjective
  • skillfuladjective

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word