碰上

pèngshàng

verb HSK 7-9 #5,188

Meanings

1 to run into; to come across
2 to encounter (by chance)

Characters

bump; touch; encounter

up; on (directional complement)

碰 (bump into) + 上 (resultative complement indicating successful contact) = to happen to meet.

Examples

我在街上碰上了老同学。

Wǒ zài jiēshang pèngshàng le lǎo tóngxué.

I ran into an old classmate on the street.

要是碰上下雨怎么办？

Yàoshi pèngshàng xiàyǔ zěnmebàn?

What if we encounter rain?

Tips

usage

碰上 emphasizes chance encounters. Similar to 碰到 (pèngdào) and 遇到 (yùdào), but 碰上 sounds more colloquial and unexpected.

Stroke Order

碰 pèng

上 shàng