寥寥无几

寥寥無幾

liáoliáo-wújǐ

idiom HSK 7-9 #36,167

Meanings

HSK 3

来参加会议的人寥寥无几。

Lái cānjiā huìyì de rén liáoliáo-wújǐ.

Very few people came to the meeting.

HSK 4

能通过这次考试的人寥寥无几。

Néng tōngguò zhècì kǎoshì de rén liáoliáo-wújǐ.

Only a handful of people can pass this exam.

memory

寥寥 (sparse/scanty, repeated for emphasis) + 无几 (without many) = so sparse there are almost none.

usage

Always used to describe disappointingly small numbers. Often placed after the subject as a predicate.

寥 liáo

无 wú

几 jǐ