Word

孤独 (gū dú) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 6

Meaning of 孤独

形 xíng adjective

lonely

她在异国他乡常常感到孤独。

tā zài yì guó tā xiāng cháng cháng gǎn dào gū dú

She often feels lonely in a foreign land.

Word breakdown

孤 gū — alone, solitary

1 孤儿 gū ér — orphan HSK 7
- 孤 alone, solitary, without parents
- 儿 child, son
Example

这个孤儿被一个善良的家庭收养了。

zhè ge gū ér bèi yí ge shàn liáng de jiā tíng shōu yǎng le

This orphan was adopted by a kind family.
2 孤单 gū dān — lonely HSK 7
- 孤 solitary, isolated
- 单 single, alone
Example

她搬到新城市后常常感到孤单。

tā bān dào xīn chéng shì hòu cháng cháng gǎn dào gū dān

She often feels lonely after moving to the new city.
3 孤立 gū lì — isolated HSK 7
- 孤 alone, solitary
- 立 stand, be positioned
Example

他感到很孤立。

tā gǎn dào hěn gū lì

He feels very isolated.
4 孤陋寡闻 gū lòu guǎ wén — ill-informed and inexperienced HSK 7
- 孤 isolated, cut off from knowledge
- 陋 narrow, limited in perspective
- 寡 few, scarce in knowledge
- 闻 heard, learned, experienced
Example

我孤陋寡闻，请多多指教。

wǒ gū lòu guǎ wén qǐng duō duō zhǐ jiào

I am ill-informed and inexperienced, please give me your guidance.
5 孤零零 gū líng líng — all alone HSK 7
- 孤 alone, solitary
- 零 scattered, fragmentary (intensifies isolation)
- 零 scattered, fragmentary (reduplication for emphasis)
Example

孩子孤零零地坐在公园的长椅上。

hái zi gū líng líng de zuò zài gōng yuán de cháng yǐ shàng

The child sat all alone on the park bench.

独 dú — alone, solitary

Structure & writing

1 孤 gū — orphaned in childhood; later also referring to having lost both parents

孤 is not used as a component in any other character.

consists of

1.1 子 zǐ — child (son or daughter in ancient usage); now specifically son

Xpinyin

子 is a component in 19 characters

HSK 1

好 hǎo good; satisfactory (opposite of 坏) 字 zì written character; word 学 xué to study; to learn (opposite of 教) 孩 hái young child

HSK 2

游 yóu unfixed; constantly moving

HSK 3

季 jì the youngest among brothers (伯, 仲, 叔, 季 denoting birth order) 李 lǐ plum tree (deciduous tree with white flowers)

HSK 4

仔 zǎi (dial.) young man 厚 hòu thick (of a flat object, opposite of 薄) 存 cún to exist; to be alive 孙 sūn grandchild; relatives of the grandchild's generation

HSK 5

享 xiǎng to possess; to obtain

HSK 6

孕 yùn pregnancy 孤 gū orphaned in childhood; later also referring to having lost both parents

HSK 7

孔 kǒng hole; opening; aperture 孝 xiào to respect and support one's parents 孪 luán twin; born as a pair from one birth 猛 měng fierce; ferocious 籽 zǐ seeds of certain plants

1.2 瓜 guā — gourd or melon plant (vine with palmate leaves, typically yellow flowers, edible fruit; includes watermelon, pumpkin, winter melon, cucumber, etc.)

瓜 is a component in 3 characters

HSK 6

孤 gū orphaned in childhood; later also referring to having lost both parents

HSK 7

狐 hú fox (a mammal with a pointed snout, triangular ears, and a bushy tail, typically reddish-yellow in colour; commonly called 狐狸) 瓣 bàn petal, one of the segments forming a corolla

Stroke order