寥寥无几 liáo liáo wú jǐ few and far between

Explanation

形容数量稀少，很少。

describes a small number, very few.

Origin Story

在一个偏远的小山村里，曾经住着几十户人家，他们世世代代在这里耕种，过着平静而淳朴的生活。然而，随着时代的变迁，越来越多的年轻人选择离开家乡，去城市寻找更好的工作和生活机会。如今，村里只剩下几户人家，大多是上了年纪的老人，年轻人寥寥无几，曾经热闹非凡的小山村，如今显得格外冷清。村里的老人们常常坐在村口的大树下，回忆着过去，感叹着时光的流逝，也为村庄的未来感到担忧。曾经的欢声笑语，如今只剩下风吹过树叶的沙沙声，这声音仿佛在诉说着小山村的沧桑巨变。

zài yīgè piānyuǎn de xiǎo shān cūn lǐ, céngjīng zhù zhe jǐ shí hù rénjiā, tāmen shìshìdài dài zài zhèlǐ gēng zhòng, guò zhe píngjìng ér chúnpǔ de shēnghuó. rán'ér, suí zhe shídài de biànqiān, yuè lái yuè duō de nián qīng rén xuǎnzé líkāi jiāxiāng, qù chéngshì xúnzhǎo gèng hǎo de gōngzuò hé shēnghuó jīhuì. rújīn, cūn lǐ zhǐ shèng xià jǐ hù rénjiā, dà duō shì shàng le niánjì de lǎorén, nián qīng rén liáo liáo wú jǐ, céngjīng rè nào fēifān de xiǎo shān cūn, rújīn xiǎn de gèwài lěng qīng. cūn lǐ de lǎorénmen chángcháng zuò zài cūn kǒu de dà shù xià, huíyì zhe guòqù, gǎntàn zhe shíguāng de liúshì, yě wèi cūn zhuāng de wèilái gǎndào dānyōu. céngjīng de huānshēng xiàoyǔ, rújīn zhǐ shèng xià fēng chuī guò shù yè de shā shā shēng, zhè shēngyīn fǎngfú zài sùshuō zhe xiǎo shān cūn de cāng sāng jùbiàn.

In a remote mountain village, there once lived dozens of families. They had farmed the land for generations, leading peaceful and simple lives. However, with the changing times, more and more young people chose to leave their hometowns and seek better jobs and life opportunities in the city. Today, only a few families remain in the village, mostly elderly people. Young people are few and far between. The once lively mountain village now seems unusually quiet. The village elders often sit under the big tree at the entrance of the village, reminiscing about the past, sighing at the passage of time, and worrying about the future of the village. The once joyful laughter is now only the rustling of leaves in the wind, a sound that seems to tell the story of the profound changes in the mountain village.

Usage

用于形容数量极少，几乎没有。

yòng yú xiángróng shùliàng jí shǎo, jīhū méiyǒu.

Used to describe a very small number, almost none.

Examples

• 村里的年轻人，大多都外出打工了，留下的寥寥无几。

  cūn lǐ de nián qīng rén, dà duō dōu wài chū dǎ gōng le, liú xià de liáo liáo wú jǐ.

  Most of the young people in the village have gone out to work, leaving only a few behind.

• 会议室里坐的人寥寥无几，看来很多人没来。

  huì yì shì lǐ zuò de rén liáo liáo wú jǐ, kàn lái hěn duō rén méi lái

  There were only a few people sitting in the conference room, it seems that many people didn't come.

Related Idioms

• 屈指可数

• 凤毛麟角

• 稀少

Opposite Idioms

• 数不胜数

• 不可胜数

• 浩如烟海