落寞 (luò mò) — forlorn; desolate; dejected

Definition

Literary word for feeling lonely and dejected, often used to describe a person's mood or the atmosphere of a quiet place. Stronger and more written than 孤独.

adjective
forlorndesolatedejected

Examples

  • ，落寞。
    Péng you dōu zǒu le, tā xīn lǐ jué de hěn luò mò.
    All his friends had left, and he felt very forlorn.
  • ，落寞。
    Zhè ge xiǎo zhèn dào le dōng tiān, xiǎn de shí fēn luò mò.
    This small town seems very desolate in winter.
  • ，，落寞。
    Wǎn huì shàng bié rén dōu zài liáo tiān, tā yí gè rén zuò zài jiǎo luò, shén qíng luò mò.
    At the party everyone else was chatting; he sat alone in a corner with a dejected look.

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.

落luòdesolate
寞mòlonely

落 suggests desolation and 寞 suggests loneliness, together giving a forlorn mood.

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
洛
洛luò落luò
Same sound today

落 pairs 艹 with 洛; 洛 gives the sound, and 艹 relates to the meaning.

Open 落 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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