Chinese word

稀少

Pronunciation

Pinyinxī shǎo

Meaning

  • adjectiverare

Example

这种病在儿童中很稀少。zhè zhǒng bìng zài ér tóng zhōng hěn xī shǎo

This disease is very rare among children.

Illustration for 稀少 (rare)

More examples

由于长期干旱，地下水稀少，农民难以灌溉庄稼。yóu yú cháng qī gān hàn dì xià shuǐ xī shǎo nóng mín nán yǐ guàn gài zhuāng jià

Due to a long drought, groundwater is scarce, making it difficult for farmers to irrigate their crops.

Core concept

A thin scattering across a group or area, with too few instances to be commonly encountered.

Common phrases

  • 资金稀少zī jīn xī shǎo

    scarce funds

  • 水源稀少shuǐ yuán xī shǎo

    scarce water sources

Similar words

罕见hǎn jiàn: Hard to observe in usual circumstances, making it strikingly unusual.
稀有xī yǒu: Existing in very small quantities and prized because it is rare.
少见shǎo jiàn: Seldom encountered or seen in familiar, everyday situations.

Definition in Chinese

数量极少且不常出现，指在某一群体或范围内很难遇到或见到的事物或现象。shù liàng jí shǎo qiě bù cháng chū xiàn zhǐ zài mǒu yì qún tǐ huò fàn wéi nèi hěn nán yù dào huò jiàn dào de shì wù huò xiàn xiàng

Word origin

稀少 (xīshǎo, "rare") combines 稀 (xī, "sparse") + 少 (shǎo, "few"), linking wide gaps between instances with a low total number.

Usage tips

  • This adjective is more common in writing than in casual speech, especially in factual descriptions of resources, species, and medical cases.

Other meanings

  • scarceadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word