百里挑一 — “One in a hundred”
百里挑一 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “one in a hundred”. Cream of the crop; exceptionally outstanding. Literally, “one in a hundred chosen”.
百里挑一 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 百bǎi
- 里lǐ
- 挑tiāo
- 一yī
百里挑一 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 百里挑一
Origin and Story of 百里挑一
In the classic novel 'Dream of the Red Chamber', after Jia Baoyu mysteriously disappeared following his success in the imperial examination, the Jia family searched for him in vain and eventually lost hope. Most of the maids in his quarters were dismissed, with the exception of those serving Xue Baochai.
Xiren's elder brother, Hua Zifang, sought an outstanding husband, 'one in a hundred' (百里挑一), for his sister, settling on Jiang Yuhan. He then sent their sister-in-law to the Jia family to bring Xiren home.
Although Xiren was initially reluctant to marry, she could not defy her brother's strong wishes and ultimately accepted the marriage.
Idioms Related to 百里挑一
Synonyms of 百里挑一
Antonyms of 百里挑一
More idioms starting with 百
- bǎi百wàn万mǎi买zhái宅，，qiān千wàn万mǎi买lín邻Good neighbors are priceless
- bǎi百wàn万xióng雄bīng兵a vast and mighty army
- bǎi百wàn万xióng雄shī师a vast and mighty army
- bǎi百zhàng丈gān竿tóu头pinnacle of achievement, strive for more
- bǎi百xià下bǎi百quán全perfectly accurate and unfailingly successful
- bǎi百xià下bǎi百zháo着unfailingly successful
- bǎi百bù不yī一cún存not one in a hundred remains
- bǎi百bù不yī一shuǎng爽always accurate and reliable
- bǎi百bù不yī一dài贷make no exceptions
- bǎi百bù不yī一yù遇extremely rare
- bǎi百bù不wèi为duō多，，yī一bù不wèi为shǎo少Excellent things are always valuable
- bǎi百bù不shī失yī一unerringly accurate
Questions about 百里挑一
- What does 百里挑一 mean?
- 百里挑一 (bǎi lǐ tiāo yī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “one in a hundred”.
- How do you pronounce 百里挑一?
- 百里挑一 is pronounced bǎi lǐ tiāo yī in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 百里挑一 literally mean?
- Literally, 百里挑一 means “one in a hundred chosen”. It is used to mean “one in a hundred”.
- Where does 百里挑一 come from?
- 百里挑一 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 百里挑一?
- 一百个当中就挑出这一个来。形容人才出众。