煢煢孑立
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Chinese[edit]
| solitary; lonely; all alone | to be alone; to stand in isolation | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (煢煢孑立) | 煢煢 | 孑立 | |
| simp. (茕茕孑立) | 茕茕 | 孑立 | |
| alternative forms | 㷀㷀孑立 惸惸孑立 睘睘孑立 嬛嬛孑立 | ||
Etymology[edit]
The ideophonic component 煢煢 has been attested in various forms, e.g. 睘睘 (OC *ɡʷeŋ ɡʷeŋ), as early as the Book of Poetry. One of the earliest idiomatic attestation was in a fu composition by Zhang Heng (《思玄賦》, "Deep Contemplations"):
As chengyu it was arguably popularised with the publication of Li Mi's petition to the Emperor Wu of Jin [267]:
- 外無期功強近之親，內無應門五尺之僮；煢煢孑立，形影相弔。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: 267, Li Mi, A Petition Regarding My True Circumstances (《陳情表》)
- Wài wú jīgōng qiǎngjìn zhī qīn, nèi wú yìngmén wǔchǐ zhī tóng; qióngqióng jiélì, xíngyǐng xiàngdiào. [Pinyin]
- Outside there is none I may venture to call a relative, and inside there is not even a servant boy to help. A complete isolation is my existence; only my figure and its shadow console each other.
外无期功强近之亲，内无应门五尺之僮；茕茕孑立，形影相吊。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation[edit]
Idiom[edit]
煢煢孑立