稀世 (xī shì) — extremely rare

Definition

Literary/formal adjective meaning 'extremely rare in the world' — used mostly in writing for treasures, talents, or species. Stronger and more rhetorical than the plain 罕见.

adjective
extremely rare
Easily confused

Examples

  • 稀世。
    Zhè shì yí jiàn xī shì de bǎo bèi.
    This is an extremely rare treasure.
  • 稀世。
    Tā yōng yǒu xī shì de cái huá.
    He possesses rare talent.
  • 稀世。
    Zhè zhǒng zhí wù zài shì jiè shàng shí fēn xī shì.
    This kind of plant is extremely rare in the world.

Origin

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
禾禾hégrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
希
希xī稀
Same sound today

稀 has 禾 (grain) beside 希, and 希 gives the character its sound.

Open 稀 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →

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