相遇
xiāng yù · HSK 7
to meet
🤝 相遇 = 相 (mutual, each other) + 遇 (to meet) = to meet each other
相 carries the sense of mutual or reciprocal action, and 遇 means to come upon or encounter. Together they mark a two-way meeting — two people running into each other, not one person finding a thing.
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.'