只身一人 (zhī shēn yì rén) — (idiom) alone, all by oneself, without company

Definition

An idiom meaning 'all alone, without a single companion' — often used to emphasize hardship or resolve, e.g., traveling or starting out solo. Stronger and more literary than the plain 一个人.

idiom
aloneall by oneselfwithout company

Examples

  • 只身一人，。
    Tā zhī shēn yì rén qù le guó wài, yí gè péng you yě méi yǒu.
    He went abroad all alone, without any friends.
  • 只身一人，。
    Tā zhī shēn yì rén chuǎng dàng jiāng hú, chī le hěn duō kǔ.
    She set out alone into the world and endured a lot of hardship.
  • 只身一人，。
    Suī rán zhī shēn yì rén, dàn tā bìng bù jué dé gū dān.
    Although she was all by herself, she didn't feel lonely at all.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

只 shows air coming out of a mouth, for a word used in speech.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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