寥寥可数 liáo liáo kě shǔ few and far between

Explanation

形容数量很少，屈指可数。

describes a very small number, which can be counted on the fingers.

Origin Story

唐朝诗人刘长卿写过一首诗，其中一句是“寥寥一犬吠桃源”，意思是只有几声狗叫声在桃花源中回荡，这景象是多么的寂静啊！后来人们就用“寥寥可数”来形容数量很少，稀少，很容易就能数清楚。故事中，桃花源是一个世外桃源，生活在那里的人们与世隔绝，生活简单而平静，因此才显得宁静安详。而“寥寥可数”中的“寥寥”指的就是这种稀少的景象。在现实生活中，有些事物也像桃花源一样，它们数量很少，但它们却有着独特的价值和意义。比如，一些濒危动物，它们的数量寥寥无几，但它们对于维护生态平衡却至关重要。再比如，一些传统技艺，它们也仅仅被少数人掌握，但它们却代表着文化的传承和发展。所以，在日常生活中，我们应该珍惜那些寥寥可数的事物，因为它们往往比我们想象的要珍贵的多。

táng cháo shī rén liú cháng qīng xiě guò yī shǒu shī, qí zhōng yī jù shì liáo liáo yī quǎn fèi táo yuán, yì si shì zhǐ yǒu jǐ shēng gǒu jiào shēng zài táo huā yuán zhōng huí dàng, zhè jǐng xiàng shì duō me de jì jìng a! hòu lái rén men jiù yòng liáo liáo kě shǔ lái xíng róng shù liàng hěn shǎo, xī shǎo, hěn róng yì jiù néng shǔ qīng chǔ. gù shì zhōng, táo huā yuán shì yī gè shì wài táo yuán, shēng huó zài nà lǐ de rén men yǔ shì gé jué, shēng huó jiǎn dān ér píng jìng, yīn cǐ cái xiǎn de nìng jìng ān xiáng. ér liáo liáo kě shǔ zhōng de liáo liáo zhǐ de jiù shì zhè zhǒng xī shǎo de jǐng xiàng. zài xiàn shí shēng huó zhōng, yǒu xiē shì wù yě xiàng táo huā yuán yī yàng, tā men shù liàng hěn shǎo, dàn tā men què yǒu zhe dú tè de jià zhí hé yì yì. bǐ rú, yī xiē bīn wēi dòng wù, tā men de shù liàng liáo liáo wú jǐ, dàn tā men què duì yú wéi chí shēng tài píng héng què zhì guān zhòng yào. zài bǐ rú, yī xiē chuán tǒng jì yì, tā men yě jǐn jǐng bèi shǎo shù rén zhǎng wò, dàn tā men què dài biǎo zhe wén huà de chuán chéng hé fā zhǎn. suǒ yǐ, zài rì cháng shēng huó zhōng, wǒ men yīng gāi zhēn xī nà xiē liáo liáo kě shǔ de shì wù, yīn wèi tā men wǎng wǎng bǐ wǒ men xiǎng xiàng de yào zhēn guì de duō.

The Tang Dynasty poet Liu Changqing wrote a poem, one line of which is "寥寥一犬吠桃源", meaning that only a few dog barks echoed in the Peach Blossom Spring, how quiet the scene is! Later, people used "寥寥可数" to describe a very small number, sparse, easy to count. In the story, the Peach Blossom Spring is a paradise, the people who live there are isolated from the world, living a simple and peaceful life, hence the quiet tranquility. And "寥寥" in "寥寥可数" refers to this sparse scene. In real life, some things are also like the Peach Blossom Spring, they are very few, but they have unique value and significance. For example, some endangered animals, they are few and far between, but they are crucial for maintaining ecological balance. For example, some traditional skills, they are also only mastered by a few people, but they represent the inheritance and development of culture. Therefore, in daily life, we should cherish those few things, because they are often much more precious than we think.

Usage

用于形容数量稀少，可以数得清。

yòng yú xíng róng shù liàng xī shǎo, kě yǐ shǔ de qīng

used to describe a small number that can be counted.

Examples

• 村里的年轻人几乎都外出打工了，留下来的老人寥寥可数。

  cūn lǐ de nián qīng rén jī hū dōu wài chū dǎ gōng le, liú xià lái de lǎo rén liáo liáo kě shǔ

  Almost all the young people in the village have gone out to work, and the elderly left behind are few and far between.

• 会议上，对公司改革方案表示赞同的人寥寥可数。

  huì yì shàng, duì gōng sī gǎi gé fāng àn biǎo shì zàn tóng de rén liáo liáo kě shǔ

  At the meeting, the people who expressed their approval of the company's reform plan were few and far between.

• 这次考试，及格的人寥寥可数，大部分学生都考砸了。

  zhè cì kǎo shì, jí gé de rén liáo liáo kě shǔ, dà bù fèn xué shēng dōu kǎo zá le

  In this exam, only a few people passed, and most of the students failed.

Related Idioms

• 屈指可数

• 寥寥无几

Opposite Idioms

• 数不胜数

• 不计其数