萍水相逢

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: píng shuǐ xiāng féng
• English Translation: Meeting like duckweed on water (a chance encounter between strangers)
• Idiom Composition: 「萍」（Duckweed (a rootless plant that floats on water)）＋「水」（Water）＋「相」（Mutually; each other）＋「逢」（To meet; to encounter）
• Meaning: A metaphor describing a chance meeting between strangers, like duckweed drifting on the water's surface and happening to touch. It refers to people who have no prior acquaintance meeting unexpectedly, often in a transient or travel-related context.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「萍水相逢」 contains the following nuances:

• The Metaphor of Rootless Duckweed: 萍 (píng) refers to duckweed, a plant that drifts on the water without roots. This symbolizes the unpredictability of fate and the state of being free from mutual obligations or long-term ties.
• Chance and Transience: The idiom describes lives that intersect unexpectedly rather than through planned meetings. Whether the relationship lasts or ends there, the starting point is always two strangers.
• Travelers in a Foreign Land: As seen in the original literary source, it often carries the nuance of lonely travelers meeting in a strange place and finding common ground in their shared status as 'guests' in a foreign land.

3. Usage

「萍水相逢」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• Travel and Transit: The most typical situation, describing meeting someone by chance on a train, plane, or during a trip.
  • Example:「我们在火车上萍水相逢，聊得很投机，下车时互留了联系方式。」
    （We met by chance on the train and hit it off so well that we exchanged contact information before getting off.）
• Emphasizing a Shallow Relationship: Used to define a relationship as merely a passing acquaintance, either to lower expectations or to express gratitude for a stranger's kindness.
  • Example:「大家只是萍水相逢，没必要为了这点小事伤了和气。」
    （Everyone here is just a passing acquaintance, so there is no need to ruin the mood over such a trivial matter.）
• The Mystery of Fate: Capturing the romantic or profound feeling that a meeting between two strangers was meant to be.
  • Example:「虽然我们是萍水相逢，但我感觉好像认识了你很久。」
    （Even though we have only met by chance, I feel as if I have known you for a long time.）

Additional Examples:

1. 在这个大城市里，每天都有无数人萍水相逢，然后擦肩而过。
   （In this big city, countless people meet by chance every day and then pass each other by.）
2. 感谢这位萍水相逢的好心人，在我迷路时帮了大忙。
   （I am grateful to this kind stranger I met by chance; they helped me a lot when I was lost.）
3. 萍水相逢也是一种缘分，不如坐下来喝杯茶吧。
   （They say a chance encounter is also a form of fate, so why don't we sit down and have a cup of tea?）
4. 对于萍水相逢的朋友，不必交浅言深。
   （One shouldn't reveal too many deep secrets to a friend they have only met by chance.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• Source: This idiom originates from the famous line '萍水相逢，尽是他乡之客' (píng shuǐ xiāng féng, jìn shì tā xiāng zhī kè) in the Preface to the Prince of Teng's Pavilion (滕王阁序) by the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Bo (王勃). It originally described travelers meeting in a foreign land and sharing their sense of displacement.
• The Concept of Fate (缘): In Chinese culture, even a meeting between strangers is often viewed as 缘 (yuán) or 'predestined affinity.' This idiom often carries a slightly romantic or philosophical tone regarding the mystery of human connection.
• Register: While it has a literary and poetic feel, it is commonly used in modern daily speech to describe 'chance encounters' in a polite or slightly formal way.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 不期而遇 (bù qī ér yù): To meet unexpectedly; can apply to both friends and strangers.
  • 邂逅相遇 (xiè hòu xiāng yù): A chance encounter; more literary and emphasizes the accidental nature of the meeting.
  • 素不相识 (sù bù xiāng shí): To be complete strangers.link
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 莫逆之交 (mò nì zhī jiāo): Very close friends whose minds are in perfect agreement; a bond where there is no conflict.
  • 青梅竹马 (qīng méi zhú mǎ): Childhood sweethearts; people who have known each other since they were very young.
  • 久别重逢 (jiǔ bié chóng féng): To meet again after a long separation.link
  • 朝夕相处 (zhāo xī xiāng chǔ): To be together from morning till night.link

6. Summary

萍水相逢 (píng shuǐ xiāng féng) is a poetic expression used to describe a chance encounter between strangers. Just as duckweed floats on the water and meets by chance, this idiom highlights the serendipity of meeting someone new. While it originally carried a sense of shared loneliness among travelers in a foreign land, today it is widely used to describe any unexpected meeting or a passing acquaintance where there is no prior connection.