独孤 (dú gū) — (literary, adjective) lonely, alone; (proper noun, surname) Dugu

Definition

Literary word for 'lonely / solitary' — more formal and elegant than 孤独. Also the surname Dugu, a famous Xianbei-era compound surname seen in historical and martial-arts fiction.

verb
(literary, adjective) lonelyalone(proper noun, surname) Dugu

Examples

  • 独孤。
    dú gū Xìn shì běi zhōu shí qī de míng jiàng.
    Dugu Xin was a famous general of the Northern Zhou period.
  • 独孤，。
    Tā yì shēng dú gū, bù céng yǒu zhēn zhèng de zhī jǐ.
    He was alone all his life, never having a true soulmate.
  • 独孤。
    Jīn yōng xiǎo shuō zhōng de dú gū qiú bài shì yí wèi jué shì gāo shǒu.
    Dugu Qiubai in Jin Yong's novel is a peerless martial arts master.

Origin

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.

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犭Written in full as犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
蜀
蜀shǔ獨dú
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.

Open 独 →

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 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.