凑巧
coù qiǎo · HSK 7
fortuitously
🍀 COUld it be? What a QIAOincidence! — lucky timing
COUld echoes còu and QIAOincidence puns on qiǎo. Together they capture that moment when timing just clicks — as chance would have it, things line up perfectly.
凑 — water 氵 + 奏 (zòu, present)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 氵 (water) gives the meaning, while 奏 supplies the sound. Originally referred to water gathering or flowing together, which extended to the modern senses of 'gather together,' 'come close,' and 'happen by chance.'
巧 — 工 (work) + 丂 (breath/exhalation phonetic)
巧 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left 工 (work, craft) gives the meaning, pointing to skilled craftsmanship, while the right 丂 supplies the sound. From 'skilled handiwork' the meaning broadened to 'clever, ingenious,' and later to 'coincidental' as in 凑巧.