Chinese word

萍水相逢

Pronunciation

Pinyinpíng shuǐ xiāng féng

Meaning

  • idiomhappen to meet

Example

在街上我和她萍水相逢，打了招呼。zài jiē shàng wǒ hé tā píng shuǐ xiāng féng dǎ le zhāo hū

I happened to meet her on the street and said hello.

Illustration for 萍水相逢 (happen to meet)

More examples

在展览会上，我与画家萍水相逢，互换了名片。zài zhán lǎn huì shàng wǒ yǔ huà jiā píng shuǐ xiāng féng hù huàn le míng piàn

At the exhibition, I happened to meet a painter and exchanged business cards.

Core concept

Two people are brought together for a moment by circumstance, then continue separately without forming a close bond.

Common phrases

  • 我和他萍水相逢wǒ hé tā píng shuǐ xiāng féng

    happen to meet him

  • 在展览会场萍水相逢zài zhán lǎn huì chǎng píng shuǐ xiāng féng

    happen to meet at the exhibition venue

Similar words

不期而遇bù qī ér yù: Meeting someone unexpectedly without arranging to meet.
邂逅xiè hòu: Coming face to face unexpectedly in an old-fashioned, literary style.

Definition in Chinese

指两人素不相识或交情浅薄，偶然在某处相遇，简单寒暄后各自离去。zhǐ liǎng rén sù bù xiāng shí huò jiāo qíng qiǎn bó ǒu rán zài mǒu chù xiāng yù jiǎn dān hán xuān hòu gè zì lí qù

Word origin

萍 (píng, "duckweed") + 水 (shuǐ, "water") suggest floating duckweed meeting on the water, and 相 (xiāng, "each other") + 逢 (féng, "meet") apply that image to a short human encounter.

Usage tips

  • A planned reunion or a friendship with regular contact is not a good setting for this chengyu; its value lies in the lack of an established connection.

Other meanings

  • unexpected meetingidiom

Word lists with this word