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少见 (shǎo jiàn) — rare, seldom seen; (formal exclamation) it's a rare pleasure to see you

Definition

少见 describes something infrequently seen (a flower, a mistake). 难得 emphasizes the value of a rare event rather than its frequency.

adjective
rareseldom seen(formal exclamation) it's a rare pleasure to see you

Examples

  • 少见。
    Zhè zhǒng huā zài dōng tiān hěn shǎo jiàn.
    This kind of flower is very rare in winter.
  • 少见！！
    shǎo jiàn! Hǎo jiǔ méi jiàn le!
    What a rare pleasure! Long time no see!
  • 少见，。
    Zhè zhǒng cuò wù hěn shǎo jiàn, bú yòng dān xīn.
    This kind of mistake is very rare; don't worry.

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.

少shǎoseldom
见jiànseen

The word means rare because 见, being seen, happens 少, seldom.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 少 is drawn as four dots, perhaps three grains of sand, to indicate a few or a little.

Open 少 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 見; 见 is its simplified writing.

  • 目目mùeye
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The traditional form 見 pairs 目 (eye) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a kneeling figure with a large eye for a head. The simplified 见 is a later shorthand.

Open 见 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4Quantity & Amount

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