孤苦 (gū kǔ) — lonely and wretched, solitary and suffering

Definition

Literary adjective for someone who is both alone (no family/help) and suffering — stronger and more written than plain 孤独. Often pairs with 伶仃 or 无依 to form set phrases.

adjective
lonely and wretchedsolitary and suffering

Examples

  • ，孤苦。
    Nà wèi lǎo nǎi nai yí gè rén zhù, shēng huó shí fēn gū kǔ.
    That old grandmother lives alone and leads a very lonely and wretched life.
  • ，。
    Tā gū kǔ líng dīng dì zhàn zài jiē tóu, méi yǒu rén lái bāng tā.
    He stood alone and miserable on the street, with no one coming to help him.
  • 孤苦，。
    Tā yí bèi zi gū kǔ wú yī, wǎn nián cái yù dào hǎo xīn rén zhào gù.
    She was lonely and helpless her whole life, and only in her old age did she meet kind people to take care of her.

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.

孤gūlonely
苦kǔwretched

孤 (lonely) and 苦 (wretched) together mean orphaned and miserable.

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.

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 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
古
古gǔ苦kǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 艸 shows grass or plants, matching the sense of bitter plants. The bottom 古 gives the sound.

Open 苦 →

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