Definition
孤苦伶仃 is a four-character idiom (成语) describing someone who is completely alone, without family or friends, and living in difficult or impoverished circumstances. You can use it for a person's situation — often after losing loved ones — or even for an animal. It functions like a stative verb or predicate: 他孤苦伶仃地生活 ('He lives alone and destitute').
idiom
solitary and destitutealone and helpless
Examples
- ，孤苦伶仃。Tā cóngxiǎo jiù shīqù le fùmǔ, gū kǔ líng dīng de zài gū'ér yuàn zhǎng dà.He lost his parents as a child and grew up solitary and destitute in an orphanage.
- ，孤苦伶仃。Nà wèi lǎorén wú ér wú nǚ, wǎnnián shēnghuó zhēn gū kǔ líng dīng.That elderly person has no children, and his late life is truly solitary and destitute.
- 孤苦伶仃，。Zhè zhī liúlàng gǒu kàn qǐlái gū kǔ líng dīng, zhēn kělián.This stray dog looks alone and helpless, really pitiable.
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