孤身 (gū shēn) — alone (without family or companions); solitary;…

Definition

Written, formal word for being alone — separated from family or companions, or living a solitary life. Pairs with 一人/单 to emphasize the loneliness.

noun

alone (without family or companions)solitary(formal) unmarriedsingle

。
Tā gū shēn yì rén lái dào zhè ge mò shēng chéng shì.
He came to this unfamiliar city all alone.
孤身。
Tā yǐ jīng xí guàn le gū shēn de shēng huó.
She is already accustomed to a solitary life.
孤身，。
Tā zài hǎi wài gū shēn duō nián, zuì jìn cái huí guó.
He lived alone overseas for many years, only recently returning to his home country.

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 means alone, and 身 points to the self, so the word describes being alone without family or 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.