Chinese word

恰巧

Pronunciation

Pinyinqià qiǎo

Meaning

  • adverbhappen to

Example

我恰巧遇见了他。wǒ qià qiǎo yù jiàn le tā

I happened to meet him.

Illustration for 恰巧 (happen to)

More examples

她恰巧在场，目击了整个过程。tā qià qiǎo zài chǎng mù jī le zhěng gè guò chéng

She happened to be present and witnessed the whole process.

Core concept

A chance event occurs at exactly the right time or under exactly the right conditions.

Common phrases

  • 恰巧遇见qià qiǎo yù jiàn

    happen to meet

  • 恰巧在场qià qiǎo zài chǎng

    happen to be present

  • 恰巧有空qià qiǎo yǒu kòng

    happen to have time

Similar words

碰巧pèng qiǎo: Happens unexpectedly by chance, without being planned.
正好zhèng hǎo: Happens at a time or in conditions that fit exactly, often with a lucky result.
偶然ǒu rán: Happens by chance, without depending on anyone's intention or expectation.
正巧zhèng qiǎo: Happens by chance just when the time or situation matches exactly.

Definition in Chinese

用于表示某事恰好发生在某个时间、地点或条件下，强调偶然与适合的结合，作副词使用。yòng yú biǎo shì mǒu shì qià hǎo fā shēng zài mǒu gè shí jiān dì diǎn huò tiáo jiàn xià qiáng diào ǒu rán yǔ shì hé de jié hé zuò fù cí shǐ yòng

Word origin

恰 (qià, "exactly") + 巧 (qiǎo, "apt") combine the ideas of an exact fit and a favorable result, giving the word its sense of an event that coincides neatly with circumstances.

Usage tips

  • As an adverb, it normally comes before the verb phrase and describes the whole event rather than the manner of the action.

Opposites

Word lists with this word