The old man's lonely, helpless final years made people's hearts ache.
Tips
history
From Li Mi's 《陈情表》 (Chen Qing Biao, 'Memorial of Expressing Feelings'), Jin dynasty: 臣少多疾病，九岁不行。零丁孤苦，至于成立 - Li Mi describes his sickly, orphaned childhood when petitioning the emperor for leave to care for his grandmother. The phrase has carried that note of pitiful solitude ever since.
usage
Strong emotional weight. Use for someone who has truly lost all family or support - not for a person who simply feels lonely. 伶仃 (língdīng) on its own also means 'isolated and alone.'
