How to Write 逅 (hòu) — Meaning “to meet unexpectedly”

Picture yourself walking along a path (辶) and then suddenly you see a friend from behind (后) — you shout 'Hòu! (Who?)' because you did not expect them. This helps link the shape, the sound, and the idea of an accidental meeting.

When writing 逅, first write the component 后 with balanced proportions, then add the radical 辶. A common mistake is making the 辶 too narrow or placing 后 too high; keep 后 centered so the whole character is stable. Remember that the stroke order of 辶 goes: dot, then the horizontal fold and vertical sweep.

逅 (hòu) uses the phonetic 后 and means 'to meet unexpectedly', while 迎 (yíng) has the radical 辶 with 卬 and means 'to welcome' (a planned meeting). 运 (yùn) uses the phonetic 云 and means 'to transport' or 'luck'. Visually, 逅 has the square 后 inside 辶, whereas 迎 has an open top and 运 has a simpler 云.

逅 is rarely used alone; it appears almost exclusively in the literary compound 邂逅 (xiè hòu), meaning 'a chance encounter' or 'to meet by accident'. This phrase is poetic and often used in stories, songs, or romantic contexts to describe a beautiful, unexpected meeting. You would not use 逅 in everyday spoken Chinese.

Common words containing 逅 include: 邂逅 (xiè hòu) — a chance encounter / to meet by chance; 偶然邂逅 (ǒu rán xiè hòu) — A chance encounter; 邂逅相遇 (xiè hòu xiāng yù) — to meet by chance / an unexpected meeting.