相 meet each other, and 遇 means to encounter or come across — together, 相遇 literally means 'to meet (each other) by chance or intention.' It emphasizes mutual presence and is commonly used for planned or unplanned face-to-face meetings between people. Unlike the simpler verb 见 (jiàn), which can mean 'to see' or 'to meet' in a more general or one-sided sense, 相遇 carries a stronger nuance of two or more parties coming together in the same place and time, often with emotional or narrative weight — such as in stories, reunions, or romantic contexts.

This word is neutral in register but leans slightly literary or formal in everyday speech; it’s frequent in writing, news reports, literature, and spoken narratives. It cannot take direct objects (e.g., you don’t say *相遇 him*); instead, it’s typically used intransitively or with prepositional phrases like 在...相遇 (meet at...) or 和...相遇 (meet with...). It’s also common in compound structures like 不期而遇 (bù qī ér yù, 'to meet unexpectedly').