稀奇

• Pinyin: xī qí
• Hanzi breakdown: 稀 = 禾 + 希 (grain + scarce); 奇 = 大 + 可 (large + possible — unusual, remarkable)

Meaning

Strange and rare; curious; unusual; novel. Describes something uncommon enough to arouse curiosity or wonder.

Similar to 稀罕 but leans more toward the sense of novelty and curiosity rather than preciousness. Often used with 古怪 (odd/eccentric) as the compound 稀奇古怪. Common in spoken and informal written Chinese.

Examples

1. 网络时代什么稀奇事都有，今天的新鲜事到明天可能就已无人关注。 In the internet age, there’s no shortage of strange stories—today’s headline might be forgotten tomorrow.
2. 这家博物馆专门收藏各地的稀奇物件，让参观者大开眼界。 This museum specializes in collecting curious objects from different places, and it really opens visitors’ eyes.
3. 老人见多识广，觉得世上没有什么真正稀奇的事，不过是换了种形式罢了。 The old man has seen a lot and feels there’s nothing truly rare in the world—things just take a different form.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, curiosity, storytelling, folk speech

Tone: light

Do Say

• 走遍大半个中国后，他在游记里说，面对各地稀奇风土，他已很难再真正惊讶。(After travelling across much of China, he wrote in his travelogue that he could hardly be truly surprised by any local customs anymore.)
• 许多城市居民初次听地方戏曲时，常觉得唱腔和程式稀奇古怪，其实只是文化陌生，不是传统艺术有缺陷。(Many urban residents, when first hearing regional opera, find its singing style and conventions oddly strange; in fact, that is only cultural unfamiliarity, not a defect in traditional art.)

Don't Say

• 稀奇 to express genuine admiration or high praise — use 难得 or 了不起 instead; 稀奇 conveys an element of oddness or novelty and can subtly imply the subject is out of the ordinary in a way that is not always flattering

Origin & History

稀 (sparse, rare) + 奇 (strange, remarkable) — together meaning something so rare it seems strange or wondrous; 奇 = 大 + 可 (large + possible — something remarkably possible, hence strange)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal