孤 gū orphaned
orphaned; alone; lonely
How to remember 孤: 子 child + 瓜 melon = orphaned. The kind farmer teaches the child she adopted to grow the biggest melon in the village, and soon nobody remembers he was ever orphaned.
Component breakdown
孤 = 子 child + 瓜 melon
- 子 child
- 瓜 melon
The kind farmer teaches the child she adopted to grow the biggest melon in the village, and soon nobody remembers he was ever orphaned.
How it is used
- 'Alone, lonely, isolated' - 孤独 (gūdú) lonely, 孤单 (gūdān) lonely/alone, 孤立 (gūlì) isolated, 孤儿 (gū'ér) orphan.
- 孤 stresses being solitary/without kin or support; contrast 独 (dú, single/on one's own) which is more neutral.
- 孤零零 (gūlínglíng) = all alone, forlorn. 孤陋寡闻 (gūlòu-guǎwén) = ignorant and ill-informed.