寥若晨星
寥若晨星 (liáo ruò chén xīng) literally means “sparse as morning stars” and expresses “very rare”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: liao ruo chen xing, liao ruo chen xing,寥若晨星 meaning, 寥若晨星 in english
Very rare
Pronunciation: liáo ruò chén xīng Literal meaning: Sparse as morning stars
Origin & Usage
Sparse (寥) as (若) the morning (晨) stars (星) — the few still visible once the sky has begun to lighten, when almost the whole field has gone out. The comparison is exact about a particular kind of rarity: not that there were never many, but that there were many and now there are these. That makes it faintly elegiac, and it suits surviving craftsmen, speakers of a dying dialect, and anything whose numbers are known to have been larger than they are.
Examples
English: "True experts in this emerging technology are as rare as morning stars"
Chinese: 这个新兴技术领域的真正专家寥若晨星
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
吉星高照
jí xīng gāo zhào
May good fortune shine on you
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披星戴月
pī xīng dài yuè
Work day and night
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若有所思
ruò yǒu suǒ sī
Lost in thought with a contemplative expression
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呆若木鸡
dāi ruò mù jī
Completely stunned or dumbfounded
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大智若愚
dà zhì ruò yú
Wisdom in humility
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门庭若市
mén tíng ruò shì
Extremely popular
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举重若轻
jǔ zhòng ruò qīng
Make difficult look easy
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虚怀若谷
xū huái ruò gǔ
Stay humble and open
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 寥若晨星 mean in English?
寥若晨星 (liáo ruò chén xīng) literally translates to “Sparse as morning stars” and is used to express “Very rare”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 寥若晨星 used?
Situation: True experts in this emerging technology are as rare as morning stars
What is the pinyin for 寥若晨星?
The pinyin pronunciation for 寥若晨星 is “liáo ruò chén xīng”.