孤身一人 (gū shēn yī rén) — all on one's own, to be alone and without compa… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Idiom meaning 'all on one's own, without any companions' — emphasizes solitude, especially far from home or support. Pairs with 独自 for the lone, independent effort.

idiom

all on one's own, to be alone and without companions

Examples

孤身一人，。
Tā gū shēn yī rén zài wài dì dǎ gōng, guò nián yě huí bù liǎo jiā.
He is working all alone in a different city and can't even go home for the New Year.
孤身一人，。
Suī rán gū shēn yī rén zài guó wài liú xué, dàn tā xué huì le dú lì shēng huó.
Although she studies abroad all on her own, she has learned to live independently.
，孤身一人。
Miàn duì zhè me dà de kùn nan, tā gū shēn yī rén káng le xià lái.
Facing such a big difficulty, he bore it all on his own.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

孤身lone body

孤gūalone身shēnbody

偏正Modifier + head

一人one person

一yīone人rénperson

偏正Modifier + head

孤身, alone in body, and 一人, one person, together emphasize having no companions.

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 of 身 comes from a drawing of a pregnant woman.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Appears in

Idioms & Set Phrases People (General)

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