Word

凤毛麟角 (fèng máo lín jiǎo) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 7

Meaning of 凤毛麟角

成语 chéng yǔ idiom

extremely rare

像他这样的天才在我们学校真是凤毛麟角。

xiàng tā zhè yàng de tiān cái zài wǒ men xué xiào zhēn shì fèng máo lín jiǎo

A genius like him is extremely rare in our school.

Word breakdown

凤 fèng — phoenix (mythical bird)

毛 máo — feathers (of the phoenix)

1 羽毛球 yǔ máo qiú — badminton HSK 3
- 羽 feather
- 毛 down/soft feather
- 球 ball
Example

我喜欢打羽毛球。

wǒ xǐ huan dǎ yǔ máo qiú

I like to play badminton.
2 毛巾 máo jīn — towel HSK 4
- 毛 soft, fuzzy texture (like hair or fur)
- 巾 cloth, fabric (used for wiping or drying)
Example

我需要一条干净的毛巾。

wǒ xū yào yì tiáo gān jìng de máo jīn

I need a clean towel.
3 毛衣 máo yī — sweater HSK 4
- 毛 wool, woolen material
- 衣 clothing, garment
Example

妈妈给我织了一件毛衣。

mā ma gěi wǒ zhī le yī jiàn máo yī

Mom knitted me a sweater.
4 毛病 máo bìng — problem; defect; ailment HSK 5
- 毛 minor; trivial (indicating small defects)
- 病 fault; defect (extending from illness)
Example

这台电脑有点儿毛病。

zhè tái diàn nǎo yǒu diǎnr máo bìng

This computer has some problems.
5 毛笔 máo bǐ — writing brush HSK 5
- 毛 hair/bristles (the material of the brush tip)
- 笔 pen/writing instrument (the tool aspect)
Example

我爷爷教我用毛笔写字。

wǒ yé ye jiāo wǒ yòng máo bǐ xiě zì

My grandfather teaches me to write with a writing brush.

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6 眉毛 méi mao — eyebrow HSK 6
- 眉 eyebrow, brow
- 毛 hair, fur
Example

这个女孩有漂亮的眉毛。

zhè ge nǚ hái yǒu piào liang de méi mao

This girl has beautiful eyebrows.
7 一毛不拔 yì máo bù bá — extremely stingy HSK 7
- 一 one, single
- 毛 hair, fur
- 不 not
- 拔 to pluck, pull out
Example

这个老板一毛不拔，从不给员工加薪。

zhè ge lǎo bǎn yì máo bù bá cóng bù gěi yuán gōng jiā xīn

This boss is extremely stingy and never gives employees raises.

麟 lín — qilin (mythical creature)

角 jiǎo — horn (of the qilin)

1 角度 jiǎo dù — angle; perspective HSK 5
- 角 angle, corner (spatial/geometric concept)
- 度 degree, measure (measurement aspect)
Example

我们要从多个角度分析这个问题。

wǒ men yào cóng duō gè jiǎo dù fēn xī zhè gè wèn tí

We need to analyze this problem from multiple angles.
2 角落 jiǎo luò — corner HSK 6
- 角 corner, angle (spatial aspect)
- 落 settled, tucked-away place
Example

他坐在房间的角落里看书。

tā zuò zài fáng jiān de jiǎo luò lǐ kàn shū

He sits in the corner of the room reading.
3 三角 sān jiǎo — triangle HSK 7
- 三 three (indicating three sides/angles)
- 角 angle/corner (geometric concept)
Example

桌子上有一个三角尺。

zhuō zi shàng yǒu yí gè sān jiǎo chǐ

There is a set square on the table.
4 冰山一角 bīng shān yī jiǎo — tip of the iceberg HSK 7
- 冰 ice (forming 'iceberg' with 山)
- 山 mountain (forming 'iceberg')
- 一 one (indicating a small portion)
- 角 corner/tip (the visible part)
Example

这些腐败案件只是冰山一角，问题比我们想象的严重得多。

zhè xiē fǔ bài àn jiàn zhǐ shì bīng shān yī jiǎo wèn tí bǐ wǒ men xiǎng xiàng de yán zhòng de duō

These corruption cases are just the tip of the iceberg; the problem is much more serious than we imagine.
5 棱角 léng jiǎo — edges and corners HSK 7
- 棱 edge, ridge
- 角 corner, angle
Example

这块石头很光滑，没有棱角。

zhè kuài shí tou hěn guāng hua méi yǒu léng jiǎo

This stone is very smooth, without any edges and corners.