sin2 jau5鮮有鲜有

Jyutpingsin2 jau5

Yalesín yáuh

Definition

Rarely have; rare; seldom found.

neutraldescriptions

How it's used

Carries a formal and slightly literary tone despite being used in spoken Cantonese to describe events or phenomena that are uncommon. It functions similarly to the adverbial use of 罕見 but specifically emphasizes the scarcity of an occurrence or experience. It is frequently paired with verbs related to perception or existence, such as 發生 or 聽聞.

Examples

le1呢zung3種cing4情fong3況sin2鮮jau5有faat3發sang1生，daai6大gaa1家m4唔sai2使daam1擔sam1心。

This kind of situation rarely happens, everyone does not need to worry.

nei5你gin3見gwo3過gam3咁kei4奇gwaai3怪ge3嘅si6事mei6未？ngo5我zan1真hai6係sin2鮮jau5有teng1聽man4聞。

Have you seen such a strange thing before? I have really seldom heard of it.

Common phrases

sin2鮮jau5有faat3發sang1生

rarely happens

sin2鮮jau5有teng1聽man4聞

seldom heard of

Common mistake

Avoid using this to describe physical objects or people, as it is primarily used for abstract events, occurrences, or information. For countable items or people, use 罕有 instead.