孤立无援 (gū lì wú yuán) — isolated and cut off from help; left high and d…

Definition

A four-character idiom (成语) meaning alone with no one to help — typically used in crisis situations like battle or international affairs, not casual loneliness.

idiom

isolated and cut off from helpleft high and dry

Examples

，孤立无援，。
Zài zhàn chǎng shàng, nà ge bù duì gū lì wú yuán, zhǐ néng kào zì jǐ tū wéi.
On the battlefield, that unit was isolated and without help, and could only break out on its own.
，孤立无援，。
Tā yīn wèi xìng gé gū pì, zài gōng sī lǐ gū lì wú yuán, méi yǒu yí gè rén yuàn yì bāng tā.
Because of his unsociable personality, he was isolated and without help in the company — no one was willing to help him.
孤立无援，。
Zhè ge guó jiā zài guó jì shàng gū lì wú yuán, bù dé bù xún qiú xīn de méng yǒu.
This country was isolated and cut off from help internationally, and had to seek new allies.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

孤立stand alone

孤gūalone立lìstand

偏正Modifier + head

无援without help

无wúlack援yuánhelp

动宾Verb + object

孤立 means standing alone and 无援 means without help, together they describe being isolated and cut off from help.

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

瓜guā孤gū

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.

Open 孤 →

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

立 pictures a person standing on the ground.

Open 立 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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

扌爰援

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

爰

爰yuán援yuán

Same sound today

In 援, the left 扌 (written fully as 手) is a hand, and the right 爰 tells you how it sounds.

Open 援 →

Appears in