孤儿 (gū ér) — orphan | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

orphan

Measure word · 个

Examples

孤儿，。
Tā cóng xiǎo jiù shì gū ér, hěn zǎo jiù xué huì le dú lì.
He has been an orphan since childhood and learned to be independent very early.
孤儿。
Zhè ge jī jīn huì zhuān mén bāng zhù pín kùn dì qū de gū ér.
This foundation specifically helps orphans in poor areas.
孤儿。
Shè huì yīng gāi gěi gū ér men gèng duō de guān ài hé zhī chí.
Society should give orphans more care and support.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

孤gūwithout parents

孤 (without parents) and 儿 (child) together mean a child without parents.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

子瓜孤

Meaning part形符xíngfú

子子zǐchild

Sound part声符shēngfú

瓜

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

孤 uses 子 (child) to show a child, and 瓜 to give the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Appears in

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