孤独 (gū dú) — lonely; solitary | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

孤独 (gūdú) is a more literary, introspective 'lonely' — emphasizes being alone in spirit or by choice, stronger than 寂寞 (emotional longing for company). 孤立 focuses on being cut off from others, not the inner feeling.

adjective

lonelysolitary

Examples

孤独。
Tā zài dà chéng shì lǐ gǎn dào shí fēn gū dú.
He feels very lonely in the big city.
，孤独。
Jí shǐ yǒu péng you zài shēn biān, yǒu shí yě huì gǎn dào gū dú.
Even with friends around, sometimes you still feel lonely.
，孤独。
Tā xǐ huan yí gè rén lǚ xíng, dàn ǒu ěr yě huì jué de gū dú.
She likes traveling alone, but occasionally she also feels lonely.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

独dúsingle

孤独 brings together 孤 'alone' and 独 'single' to describe loneliness.

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.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 獨; 独 is its simplified writing.

犭蜀獨

Meaning part形符xíngfú

犭Written in full as犬quǎn

Sound part声符shēngfú

蜀

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 獨 pairs 犬 (dog) with 蜀, which gives the sound; the simplified 独 is a shorthand.

Appears in

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