Chinese word

孤零零

Pronunciation

Pinyingū líng líng

Meaning

  • adjectiveall alone

Example

孤零零的小狗蜷在门口。gū líng líng de xiáo gǒu quán zài mén kǒu

The little dog is curled up all alone by the door.

Illustration for 孤零零 (all alone)

More examples

夜里只留下一盏孤零零的路灯。yè lǐ zhǐ liú xià yì zhǎn gū líng líng de lù dēng

At night, only one solitary streetlamp remained.

Core concept

One lonely-looking thing is set off from its surroundings, seeming small, quiet, and easy to feel sorry for.

Common phrases

  • 孤零零的房子gū líng líng de fáng zi

    a solitary house

  • 孤零零的身影gū líng líng de shēn yǐng

    a lonely figure

  • 孤零零的路灯gū líng líng de lù dēng

    a solitary streetlamp

Similar words

孤独gū dú: Feeling lonely inside because no close companion is present.
寂寞jì mò: Feeling lonely and empty while being by oneself.
单独dān dú: Separate from others and existing as a single unit.

Definition in Chinese

形容单独存在且显得渺小、冷清并带有怜悯意味的状态，语气偏口语，多用于具体的场景描写。xíng róng dān dú cún zài qiě xiǎn de miáo xiǎo lěng qīng bìng dài yǒu lián mǐn yì wèi de zhuàng tài yǔ qì piān kóu yǔ duō yòng yú jù tǐ de cháng jǐng miáo xiě

Word origin

孤 (gū, "solitary") marks separation, while repeated 零 (líng, "scattered or left over") makes the image feel sparse and left behind.

Usage tips

  • The word usually presents loneliness as something visible in a scene, so it sounds more emotional than a neutral English statement that someone or something is alone.

Other meanings

  • lonelyadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word