Chinese word

寥寥无几

Pronunciation

Pinyinliáo liáo wú jǐ

Meaning

  • idiomnext to none

Example

他的存款寥寥无几，买不起房子。tā de cún kuǎn liáo liáo wú jǐ mǎi bù qǐ fáng zi

He has next to no savings, so he can't afford a house.

Illustration for 寥寥无几 (next to none)

More examples

在偏远地区，商店和服务寥寥无几。zài piān yuǎn dì qū shāng diàn hé fú wù liáo liáo wú jǐ

In remote areas, there are next to no shops or services.

Core concept

A field that contains so few things that it seems almost empty.

Common phrases

  • 存款寥寥无几cún kuǎn liáo liáo wú jǐ

    next to no savings

  • 机会寥寥无几jī huì liáo liáo wú jǐ

    next to no opportunities

  • 观众寥寥无几guān zhòng liáo liáo wú jǐ

    next to no audience

Similar words

屈指可数qū zhí ké shǔ: Limited to a few examples that can be counted.
寥若晨星liáo ruò chén xīng: So rare and scattered that finding examples is difficult.
凤毛麟角fèng máo lín jiǎo: A rare and remarkable person or thing, seldom encountered.

Definition in Chinese

寥寥无几 表示数量微小，几乎没有，用于强调存在的稀少性。liáo liáo wú jǐ biǎo shì shù liàng wēi xiǎo jī hū méi yǒu yòng yú qiáng diào cún zài de xī shǎo xìng

Word origin

寥寥 (liáoliáo, "sparse and few") describes a thin scattering, while 无几 (wújǐ, "not many") adds the sense that the total is barely more than zero.

Usage tips

  • This idiom suits reports, explanations, and other careful speech more than relaxed conversation, where a shorter everyday expression usually sounds more natural.

Other meanings

  • very fewidiom

Opposites

  • 不计其数bú jì qí shùtoo many to countidiom
  • 数不胜数shǔ bú shèng shǔcountlessidiom

Word lists with this word