‘偶合’ (ǒu hé) is a formal noun meaning ‘coincidence’ or ‘fortuitous alignment’—an unplanned, chance occurrence where two or more events, people, or things come together without deliberate intention. The character 偶 (ǒu) means ‘accidental’ or ‘by chance’, while 合 (hé) means ‘to join’, ‘to unite’, or ‘to match’. Together, they convey the idea of an unplanned convergence—something that happens not by design but by serendipity or random alignment.

This term is commonly used in literary, academic, or reflective contexts—not in casual speech—and often carries a slightly poetic or philosophical tone. It appears frequently when describing unexpected meetings, parallel developments in history or science, or emotional synchronicities between people. Unlike the more colloquial ‘巧合’ (qiǎo hé), ‘偶合’ feels more detached and objective, emphasizing structural or temporal alignment rather than subjective surprise.