少有
shǎo yoǔ · HSK 7
rare
🌑 少有 = few (少 shǎo) + have (有 yǒu): something few things have = rare
少 means few or little; 有 means to have or exist. Stack them and you get few-have, i.e. seldom occurring. The compound reads as a thing that few possess, hence rare or infrequent.
少 — 小 (small) + 丿 (slash stroke)
Originally a pictograph showing four small dots or grains, suggesting 'few' or 'small in quantity'. Over time it became distinguished from 小 (small) by adding a downward stroke. The core meaning shifted toward 'few' or 'little in number', while 小 kept the sense of physical smallness.
有 — hand 𠂇 + moon/meat 月
Originally depicted a hand holding a piece of meat (月 here is the 'meat' radical, not moon), expressing the idea of possessing something. Over time the meaning broadened from 'to hold/possess' to the general sense of 'to have' or 'there is/exists'.