机遇
jī yù · HSK 4
opportunity
🎯 机遇 = 机 (machine/chance) + 遇 (encounter); a chance you run into
机 also means opportunity (as in 机会), and 遇 means to meet or encounter. Together 机遇 is a favorable circumstance you happen to meet — luck that crosses your path rather than luck you make.
遇 — 辶 (walk radical) + 禺 (phonetic, monkey)
遇 is a phono-semantic compound. The walking radical 辶 supplies the meaning of going or moving along a road, while 禺 (an old word depicting a monkey-like creature) provides the sound. Together they evoke encountering someone while traveling, giving the modern senses 'meet,' 'come across,' or 'treat.'