碰巧
pèng qiǎo · HSK 7
by chance
🎲 碰 bump-into + 巧 coincidental = you bump into something coincidentally, by chance
碰 means to bump, collide, or run into; 巧 means coincidental or opportune. Together they mean an event that happens to occur, as if you bumped into it without planning. Pèng qiǎo: ran into it by luck.
碰 — stone 石 + together 並
A semantic-phonetic compound: 石 (stone) gives the meaning of hard objects striking, while 並 (bìng, 'together/side by side') hints at the sound and the idea of two things meeting. Originally describing stones knocking together, it broadened to mean 'bump into,' 'collide,' or 'encounter 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.