haai5邂
Jyutpinghaai5
Yaleháaih
Definition
To meet unexpectedly or encounter someone.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
邂逅 is almost exclusively used in the compound 邂逅 to describe a romantic or serendipitous encounter. While it carries a slightly literary or poetic tone, it is still frequently used in modern speech to add a sense of destiny or surprise to a meeting. It implies a chance encounter rather than a planned appointment.
Examples
I ran into an old classmate on the street.
Did you two meet by chance at the library?
Related words
Common phrases
a romantic encounter
to meet one's love by chance
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a common verb like 見 or 撞到, but 邂逅 specifically carries a connotation of a chance or fated meeting. Avoid using it for mundane encounters like meeting a colleague at the office or a neighbor in the hallway.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
