难得一见 (nán dé yí jiàn) — rarely seen; seldom encountered; hard to come by

Definition

难得一见 (nán dé yí jiàn) is a set phrase meaning 'rarely seen' — it emphasizes that something is seldom encountered or witnessed. Compared to 罕见 (hǎn jiàn, 'rare'), it is more idiomatic and often used for events, sights, or opportunities. It differs from 来之不易 (lái zhī-bú yì), which stresses the difficulty of obtaining something, and from 凤毛麟角 (fèng máo-lín jiǎo), a literary idiom for extreme rarity.

phrase

rarely seenseldom encounteredhard to come by

Examples

难得一见。
Zhè zhǒng zhēnguì de zhíwù zài yěwài nán dé yí jiàn.
This precious plant is rarely seen in the wild.
，难得一见。
Tā de biǎoyǎn fēnggé dútè, zài dāngjīn wǔtái shàng nán dé yí jiàn.
His performance style is unique and rarely seen on today's stage.
难得一见，。
Zhèyàng de jīhuì zhēn shì nán dé yí jiàn, nǐ yídìng yào zhuāzhù.
Such an opportunity is truly rare; you must seize it.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.