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千载难逢 (qiān zǎi nán féng) — extremely rare, once-in-a-lifetime (of an opportunity or event)

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'extremely rare, once in a thousand years' — used to emphasize that an opportunity or event is not to be missed.

idiom
extremely rareonce-in-a-lifetime (of an opportunity or event)

Examples

  • 千载难逢，。
    Zhè shì yí gè qiān zǎi nán féng de jī huì, nǐ yí dìng yào zhuā zhù.
    This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — you must seize it.
  • ，千载难逢。
    Néng jiàn dào zhè wèi dà shī, zhēn shì qiān zǎi nán féng.
    Being able to meet this master is truly a rare event.
  • ，千载难逢。
    Duì tā men lái shuō, zhè cì bǐ sài shì qiān zǎi nán féng de liáng jī.
    For them, this competition is an extremely rare good chance.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

千载a thousand years
千qiānthousand载zǎiyear
偏正Modifier + head
难逢hard to meet
难nándifficult逢féngmeet
偏正Modifier + head

千载 (a thousand years) and 难逢 (hard to meet) describe a chance that rarely occurs.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
一一yīone, signifying a number
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén千qiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

千 pairs 人, whose sound was similar, with 一, a number stroke; the extra line was explained as extension, and a thousand is a number reached by extending counting.

Open 千 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 載; 载 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūchariot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢦏
𢦏𢦏載zài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 載 has 車, a chariot, and 𢦏 gives the sound; 载 is its simplified form.

Open 载 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 難; 难 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
暵
暵hàn難nán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional 難 pairs 隹, a bird, with 暵 for sound, and meant a type of bird. It was later borrowed for other meanings; the modern 难 is a shorthand.

Open 难 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
夆
夆páng逢féng
Same sound today

In 逢, 辶 is the walking part and 夆 is the sound part.

Open 逢 →
Appears in
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