About
The character "孤" structurally integrates the radical "子", meaning child, with the component "瓜", which primarily served a phonetic role yet may have contributed an associative sense of something set apart or rounded. Its earliest documented usage specifically referred to a fatherless child, indicating a state of paternal loss and the associated vulnerability within familial structures. From this concrete social designation, the meaning gradually extended to encompass general concepts of solitude and isolation, applying not only to persons but also to objects and environments described as lone or remote. This semantic broadening allowed the character to convey both physical separation and psychological states of loneliness, while its consistent graphical form maintained a tangible link to its original conception of a child deprived of support.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他独自走回家。
夜晚她感到孤单。
这座孤岛风景很美。
老人过着孤独的生活。
不要孤立那个新同学。
孤寂的灯塔立在岸边。
孤独是成长的必修课。
在群体中他选择了孤立自己。