lonely and alone; solitary
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to have only one's body and shadow to comfort each other; to be extremely lonely and isolated
literaryA formal literary idiom describing extreme loneliness where one has no companions except their own shadow. The character '吊' here means 'to comfort' or 'to console'.
Tā他
dú独
jū居
yì异
xiāng乡
，
xíng形
yǐng影
xiāng相
diào吊
，
shí十
fēn分
qī凄
liáng凉
。
He lived alone in a foreign land, with only his shadow for company, utterly desolate.
Fù父
mǔ母
shuāng双
wáng亡
hòu后
，
tā他
xíng形
yǐng影
xiāng相
diào吊
，
gū孤
kǔ苦
líng伶
dīng仃
。
After his parents passed away, he was left alone with only his shadow to comfort him, destitute and forlorn.
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Zhè这
wèi位
lǎo老
rén人
wú无
ér儿
wú无
nǚ女
，
zhōng终
rì日
xíng形
yǐng影
xiāng相
diào吊
。
This elderly person had no children and spent his days in complete solitude.