弥足珍贵 (mí zú zhēn guì) — extremely precious, invaluable, worthy of being treasured

Definition

A formal idiom meaning 'extremely precious, invaluable.' 弥足 emphasizes that the value is hard-won or rare, stronger than plain 珍贵.

idiom
extremely preciousinvaluableworthy of being treasured

Examples

  • 弥足珍贵。
    Zhè duàn jīng lì duì wǒ lái shuō mí zú zhēn guì.
    This experience is extremely precious to me.
  • 弥足珍贵，。
    Zhè xiē gǔ lǎo de shǒu gōng yì pǐn mí zú zhēn guì, zhí dé hǎo hǎo bǎo hù.
    These ancient handicrafts are invaluable and deserve careful protection.
  • 弥足珍贵。
    Yǒu yì shì rén shēng zhōng mí zú zhēn guì de cái fù.
    Friendship is an extremely precious treasure in life.

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.

弥足even more
弥mímore足zúenough
偏正Modifier + head
珍贵precious
珍zhēnprecious贵guìvaluable
联合Side by side

弥足 (even more) and 珍贵 (precious) together mean especially precious.

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
弓弓gōngbow
Sound part声符shēngfú
尔
尔ěr弥mí
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape of 弥 pairs 弓 (bow) as its meaning part with 尔 as its sound part.

Open 弥 →

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

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

Open 足 →

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
玉玉yù
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐱
㐱㐱珍
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

珍 pairs 玉, a jade or gem, with 㐱, which gives the sound; the 玉 part fits its early meaning of a rich gemstone.

Open 珍 →

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 貴; 贵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèimoney cowrie
Sound part声符shēngfú
臾
臾yú貴guì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貴 uses 貝, a money cowrie, for meaning and 臾 for sound. The simplified 贵 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the old parts.

Open 贵 →

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