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孤岛 (gū dǎo) — isolated island

Definition

孤岛 literally means an 'isolated island' — geographically an island cut off from the mainland, and metaphorically any person or thing separated from others.

noun
isolated island
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 孤岛。
    Zhè ge gū dǎo shàng méi yǒu jū mín.
    This isolated island has no residents.
  • ，孤岛。
    Zài xìn xī shí dài, méi yǒu rén shì yí zuò gū dǎo.
    In the information age, no one is an isolated island.
  • 孤岛。
    Nà zuò gū dǎo wèi yú tài píng yáng zhōng bù.
    That isolated island is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Origin

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gūisolated
岛dǎoisland

孤 gives the sense of being cut off, and 岛 an island, so the word means an isolated island.

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
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 →

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 島; 岛 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
山山shānmountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
鳥
鳥niǎo島dǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 島 uses 山, meaning mountain, and 鳥 for the sound. The simplified 岛 is a later shorthand.

Open 岛 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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