寥若晨星 — “Extremely few”
寥若晨星 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Extremely few”. Very rare; as sparse as stars in the morning sky (which are barely visible). Literally, “Sparse like morning stars”.
Frequency
寥若晨星 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 寥liáo
- 若ruò
- 晨chén
- 星xīng
寥若晨星 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 寥若晨星
在这次全国性比赛中，能达到这个高水平的选手寥若晨星
In this national competition, athletes who can reach such a high level are as rare as morning stars.
Origin and Story of 寥若晨星
During the Tang Dynasty, religions flourished. Han Yu, a Doctor of the Imperial Academy, was a staunch believer in Confucianism and firmly opposed the prevalence of Buddhism and Taoism.
He wrote the poem "Woman of Mount Hua" to satirize the situation where Buddhism and Taoism competed for followers.
In Hua County, Buddhist followers were numerous, but Taoist followers were as sparse as morning stars. Female Taoist priests even personally came out to preach, using their charm to attract followers.
Idioms Related to 寥若晨星
Synonyms of 寥若晨星
Antonyms of 寥若晨星
More idioms starting with 寥
Questions about 寥若晨星
- What does 寥若晨星 mean?
- 寥若晨星 (liáo ruò chén xīng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Extremely few”.
- How do you pronounce 寥若晨星?
- 寥若晨星 is pronounced liáo ruò chén xīng in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 寥若晨星 literally mean?
- Literally, 寥若晨星 means “Sparse like morning stars”. It is used to mean “Extremely few”.
- Where does 寥若晨星 come from?
- 寥若晨星 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 寥若晨星?
- 寥：稀疏。稀少得好象早晨的星星。指为数极少。