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擦肩而过

擦肩而過
cājiānérguò
idiom #19,413

Meanings

  1. 1 to brush past each other
  2. 2 to miss (someone or something) by a narrow margin

Examples

我们在街上擦肩而过，却没有认出彼此。
Wǒmen zài jiē shàng cājiānérguò, què méiyǒu rènchū bǐcǐ.
We brushed past each other on the street without recognizing each other.
他和这个机会擦肩而过了。
Tā hé zhège jīhuì cājiānérguò le.
He narrowly missed this opportunity.

Tips

usage
Often used figuratively to describe narrowly missing an opportunity, a person, or even danger — not just physically passing by someone.
memory
Picture two people's shoulders (肩) brushing (擦) as they pass (过) each other — so close yet they miss the connection.

Stroke Order

擦 cā
肩 jiān
而 ér
过 guò