孤独

• Pinyin: gū dú
• Hanzi breakdown: 孤 = 子 (child) + 瓜 (melon, phonetic), originally meaning orphan; 独 = 犭 (dog radical) + 蜀 (phonetic)

Meaning

Lonely; solitary; isolated. A feeling of being alone or without companionship.

Describes both physical solitude and emotional loneliness. Common collocations: 感到孤独 (feel lonely), 孤独的人 (a lonely person), 孤独终老 (grow old alone). Can have a neutral or even positive connotation when describing solitary contemplation or independence, but more often implies sadness or isolation.

Examples

1. 他虽然身边总是围着很多人，但内心却感到无比孤独。 Although he's always surrounded by many people, deep down he feels incredibly lonely.
2. 城市里的年轻人越来越习惯孤独，一个人吃饭、看电影已经很常见了。 Young people in cities are getting more accustomed to solitude — eating and watching movies alone is already quite common.
3. 真正的强者懂得享受孤独，在独处中思考人生的意义。 A truly strong person knows how to embrace solitude, contemplating the meaning of life in moments of being alone.

Usage Guide

Context: emotions, psychology, literature

Tone: reflective

Do Say

• 我有时候会感到孤独。(Sometimes I feel lonely.)
• 孤独和独处是不一样的。(Loneliness and solitude are different.)

Don't Say

• 用孤独形容物体 (Don't use 孤独 for inanimate objects — use 孤零零 or 独立 instead)

Origin & History

Compound of 孤 (orphaned, alone) + 独 (single, alone). Both characters emphasize solitude: 孤 originally referred to a fatherless child, 独 to a single dog without a pack.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal