Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Scarce: Existing in very limited supply; insufficient to meet demand. Often describes resources, goods, or materials that are difficult to obtain.
   • Rare: Uncommon; not occurring or found often. Can describe items, events, or conditions that are infrequent or unusual.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Nước sạch trở nên khan hiếm trong mùa khô. (Clean water becomes scarce during the dry season.)
  • Những chiếc xe cổ này rất khan hiếm. (These classic cars are very rare.)
  • Hàng hóa khan hiếm dẫn đến giá cả tăng cao. (Scarce goods lead to high prices.)

Advanced Usage

• In economic contexts, "khan hiếm" is a fundamental concept describing the basic economic problem of limited resources versus unlimited wants.
  • Sự khan hiếm buộc chúng ta phải lựa chọn. (Scarcity forces us to make choices.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khan (adj): Often used alone in compounds to indicate a shortage or lack.
  • khan hàng: shortage of goods.
• Hiếm (adj): Rare, seldom. Can be used independently.
  • hiếm có: rare, exceptional.

Synonyms

• Scarce: In short supply.
• Rare: Seldom found or occurring.
• Sparse: Thinly dispersed or scattered.
• In short supply: Not available in sufficient quantity.

Antonyms

• Dồi dào: Abundant, plentiful.
• Phổ biến: Common, widespread.
• Sẵn có: Available, readily obtainable.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Của hiếm: A rare/valuable thing.
  • Nhân tài như vậy là của hiếm. (Such talent is a rare thing.)
• Khan hiếm trầm trọng: Critically scarce; severely lacking.
  • Nguồn tài nguyên này đang khan hiếm trầm trọng. (This resource is critically scarce.)

adj

1. scarcie; rare