Chinese word

孤独

Pronunciation

Pinyingū dú

Meaning

  • adjectivelonely

Example

孩子上学后，他常常感到孤独。hái zi shàng xué hòu tā cháng cháng gǎn dào gū dú

After the child starts school, he often feels lonely.

Illustration for 孤独 (lonely)

More examples

节日里，她面对空荡的房间感到孤独。jié rì lǐ tā miàn duì kōng dàng de fáng jiān gǎn dào gū dú

During the holiday, she feels lonely as she faces the empty room.

Core concept

A quiet feeling of being cut off from close human contact.

Common phrases

  • 孤独的夜晚gū dú de yè wǎn

    a lonely night

  • 孤独的心情gū dú de xīn qíng

    a lonely mood

Similar words

寂寞jì mò: Feeling sad because life has too few people or pleasant activities.
孤单gū dān: Being alone for a long time and feeling worried or sad about it.

Definition in Chinese

因为亲近的人缺席或缺乏交流而产生的孤单、寂寞的心理感受。yīn wèi qīn jìn de rén quē xí huò quē fá jiāo liú ér chǎn shēng de gū dān jì mò de xīn lǐ gǎn shòu

Word origin

孤 (gū, "alone") + 独 (dú, "separate") combines two ideas of being by oneself to name an emotional state of isolation.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, the word can sound serious when it describes a person's character, because it points to emotional disconnection rather than a simple preference for being by oneself.

Other meanings

  • lonelinessnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 孤独感gū dú gǎnsense of lonelinessnoun

Word lists with this word