once in a blue moon; rare occurrence
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
occurring once in many years; a rare occurrence
Used to describe events or situations that are extremely rare or happen only once in a long time. The phrase literally means 'ten years, nine [times] not meeting,' implying something happens perhaps only once in ten years.
Jīn今
nián年
zhè这
me么
dà大
de的
yǔ雨
liàng量
，
zhēn真
shi是
shí十
nián年
jiǔ九
bù不
yù遇
。
The rainfall this year is so heavy—it's truly a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence.
Zhè这
zhǒng种
qí奇
guān观
zhēn真
shi是
shí十
nián年
jiǔ九
bù不
yù遇
，
yí一
dìng定
yào要
hǎo好
hao好
xīn欣
shǎng赏
。
This kind of spectacular sight is extremely rare—you must take the time to appreciate it.
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Néng能
zài在
bǐ比
sài赛
zhōng中
kàn看
dào到
zhè这
yàng样
de的
biǎo表
xiàn现
，
jiǎn简
zhí直
shi是
shí十
nián年
jiǔ九
bù不
yù遇
。
Being able to see such a performance in the competition is simply a once-in-a-lifetime experience.