孤儿

• Pinyin: gū ér
• Hanzi breakdown: 孤 = 子 (child) + 瓜 (phonetic); 儿 = simplified from 兒, pictograph of a child

Meaning

Orphan. A child whose parents have both died.

Refers specifically to children who have lost both parents. Related terms: 孤儿院 (orphanage), 孤儿寡母 (orphans and widows, a vulnerable family). Sometimes used metaphorically for abandoned projects or entities: 政策孤儿 (policy orphan). The term carries emotional weight and is often used in discussions of social welfare.

Examples

1. 这家孤儿院收养了两百多名因为地震失去双亲的孩子。 This orphanage has taken in over two hundred children who lost both parents in the earthquake.
2. 她从小是孤儿，靠着邻居的帮助和自己的努力考上了大学。 She was an orphan from childhood, and through neighbors' help and her own hard work, she made it into university.
3. 政府出台了一系列政策保障孤儿的教育和生活。 The government has introduced a series of policies to ensure orphans' education and livelihood.

Usage Guide

Context: social welfare, family, charity

Tone: sympathetic

Do Say

• 这个慈善机构专门帮助孤儿。(This charity specifically helps orphans.)
• 他是战争孤儿。(He is a war orphan.)

Don't Say

• 把单亲家庭的孩子叫孤儿 (Don't call children from single-parent families orphans — that's factually incorrect and potentially hurtful)

Origin & History

Compound of 孤 (orphaned, alone) + 儿 (child). 孤 originally specifically meant a child without a father, but 孤儿 now refers to children who have lost both parents.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal