孤立无援 is formed by directly combining the two-word phrases 孤立 (gūlì), meaning "isolated" or "standing alone", and 无援 (wúyuán), meaning "without aid", where 孤 signifies "alone", 立 means "stand", 无 indicates "without", and 援 denotes "aid". The word thus literally conveys the state of being both isolated and lacking support.