píng萍duckweedshuǐ水waterxiāng相mutualféng逢meet
To meet by chance; casual acquaintance.
Literal meaning
duckweed (萍) — water (水) — mutual (相) — meet (逢)
Origin
Derived from a poem describing people meeting like duckweed floating on water. A classical four-character phrase.
Examples
Wǒ我men们zhǐ只shì是píng萍shuǐ水xiāng相féng逢，bù不bì必tài太rèn认zhēn真。
We just met by chance, no need to be too serious.
Rén人shēng生jiù就xiàng像píng萍shuǐ水xiāng相féng逢，chōng充mǎn满le了wèi未zhī知。
Life is like meeting by chance, full of unknowns.
Usage & nuances
Describes a brief and often unexpected encounter.
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