少见 (shǎo jiàn) means “rare” | MotiTan Chinese Dictionary

More examples

这种少见的情况需要专家诊断。zhè zhǒng shǎo jiàn de qíng kuàng xū yào zhuān jiā zhěn duàn

This kind of rare situation requires an expert diagnosis.

Something stands out because ordinary people seldom come across it.

罕见hǎn jiàn: Seen only on very rare occasions.
稀有xī yǒu: So scarce that almost none exist.

很少发生或遇到，用来形容稀有的现象或事物。hén shǎo fā shēng huò yù dào yòng lái xíng róng xī yǒu de xiàn xiàng huò shì wù

The compound 少 (shǎo, "few") + 见 (jiàn, "see") joins limited number with seeing, so 少见 (shǎojiàn, "rare") describes low encounter frequency.

English rare can suggest unusual value or specialness, while 少见 (shǎojiàn, "rare") focuses on how infrequently something is encountered and is not automatically a compliment.