凤毛麟角 phoenix feather and unicorn horn
Explanation
比喻珍贵而稀少的人或物。
It refers to something rare and precious.
Origin Story
南朝时期，谢灵运的孙子谢超宗文采出众，深得孝武帝赏识。一次，孝武帝赞扬谢超宗文才如“凤毛”，意思是说他的才能非常稀有珍贵，像凤凰的羽毛一样难得。消息传到右卫将军刘道隆耳中，他误以为“凤毛”是某种珍贵的物品，便派人四处寻找，却怎么也找不到。这个故事后来就演变成了成语“凤毛麟角”，用来比喻稀有珍贵的事物。
During the Southern Dynasties, Xie Chao Zong, the grandson of Xie Lingyun, was outstanding in literature and was highly appreciated by Emperor Xiao Wu. Once, Emperor Xiao Wu praised Xie Chao Zong's literary talent as "phoenix feathers", which meant that his talent was extremely rare and precious, as rare as the feathers of a phoenix. The news reached the Right Guard General Liu Daolong, who mistakenly thought that "phoenix feather" was a kind of precious item, so he sent people to search everywhere, but he could not find it. This story later became the idiom "Feng Mao Lin Jiao", which is used to describe rare and precious things.
Usage
用作宾语、定语；指稀有的人或事物。
Used as an object or attribute; refers to rare people or things.
Examples
-
他的才能在学校里是凤毛麟角。
tā de cáinéng zài xuéxiào lǐ shì fèng máo lín jiǎo
His talent is a rare bird in the school.
-
这样的人才凤毛麟角，要好好珍惜。
zhèyàng de réncái fèng máo lín jiǎo, yào hǎohāo zhēnxī
Such talents are rare, we should cherish them.