珍稀 (zhēnxī): rare and precious

Meanings

1 rare and precious
2 rare
3 precious and uncommon

Characters

珍

Examples

大熊猫是珍稀动物。

Dà xióngmāo shì zhēnxī dòngwù.

The giant panda is a rare and precious animal.

博物馆收藏了许多珍稀文物。

Bówùguǎn shōucáng le xǔduō zhēnxī wénwù.

The museum holds many rare and precious cultural relics.

Tips

usage

珍稀 is the standard adjective for endangered species and museum-grade rarities — typical collocations: 珍稀动物 (rare animal), 珍稀植物 (rare plant), 珍稀文物 (rare cultural relic), 珍稀物种 (endangered species). It bundles 'precious' (珍) with 'rare' (稀), so it always implies value, not just scarcity.

memory

珍 'precious/treasure' + 稀 'rare/sparse' = 'precious AND rare'. Stronger than 稀有 (xīyǒu, just 'rare'); 珍稀 adds the 'worth treasuring' nuance.