Writing
偶然 (ǒu rán) — how to say "by chance" in Chinese
偶然
By chance, accidental
adjective
Character composition
偶
accidental; by chance
然
state/adverb suffix
Radicals / Keys
火
Fire
#86 · huǒ · 4 strokes
人
Man
#9 · rén · 2 strokes
Collocations
偶然事件
ǒu rán shì jiàn
chance event
偶然发现
ǒu rán fā xiàn
discover by chance
Examples
昨天我在超市偶然遇到了一个很久没见的老同学。
Yesterday at the supermarket, I accidentally met an old classmate whom I hadn't seen for a long time.
我们偶然见面。
We met by chance.
Frequently asked questions
By chance meaning in Chinese
"by chance" in Chinese is 偶然 (ǒu rán).
What does 偶然 mean in English?
偶然 (ǒu rán) means "By chance, accidental".
How is 偶然 pronounced?
It is pronounced ǒu rán (written as ou ran, ouran). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "by chance" in Chinese characters?
It is written 偶然: 偶 has 11 strokes, 然 has 12 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 偶然?
偶然 belongs to the HSK 5 vocabulary list.
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