珍稀 (zhēn xī) — rare, precious and uncommon | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Used for living things and cultural objects that are both rare AND valued (rare animals, cultural relics). 比稀有 stronger in emphasis on preciousness; 名贵 stresses fame or quality, not rarity.

adjective

rareprecious and uncommon

Easily confused

珍惜zhēn xīsound-aliketo cherish, to treasure, to value

Examples

珍稀。
Zhè zhǒng zhēn xī dòng wù zhī shēng huó zài gāo shān shàng.
This kind of rare animal only lives in high mountains.
珍稀。
Gù gōng lǐ shōu cáng le xǔ duō zhēn xī wén wù.
The Forbidden City houses many rare cultural relics.
珍稀。
Zhè piàn sēn lín lǐ yǒu hǎo jǐ zhǒng zhēn xī zhí wù.
There are several kinds of rare plants in this forest.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

珍zhēnprecious

珍 and 稀 both point to preciousness and rarity, together describing something uncommon.

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

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.

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

禾希稀

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾hégrain

Sound part声符shēngfú

希

Same sound today

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

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6

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