CHENGYU
千载难逢(qiān zǎi nán féng)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- formal, approving
- Source:
- 《南齐书·庾杲之传》
MEANING
- Literal
- hard to meet once in a thousand years
- Figurative meaning
- a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
ORIGIN STORY
An official in the Southern Qi thanked the court: "Such generous promotion as I have received is hard to come by in a thousand years." Han Yu echoed it: "a chance of a thousand years, not to be met again."
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“once in a blue moon”
EXAMPLES
这是一次千载难逢的机会，一定要抓住。Zhè shì yí cì qiān zǎi nán féng de jīhuì, yídìng yào zhuāzhù.HSK6
This is a once-in-a-thousand-years chance — seize it.
能亲眼看到日全食，真是千载难逢。Néng qīnyǎn kàn dào rìquánshí, zhēn shì qiān zǎi nán féng.HSK6
Seeing a total eclipse with my own eyes — once in a thousand years.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the reading: 载 is zǎi (year). Reserve it for truly rare opportunities.
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01