遭遇
zāoyū · HSK 6
encounter
💥🤝 zāo = meet disaster + yù = encounter — a rough run-in
遭 means to suffer or run into something (often bad), and 遇 means to encounter. Together they form a word for an encounter, usually an unpleasant or fateful one. Sounds like 'zow, you!' — someone bumping into you unexpectedly.
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.'