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After Emperor Wu of Jin unified the country, he promoted 'governance through filial piety,' advocating respect for parents and elders.
He intended to appoint Li Mi, a Secretary from Western Shu, and issued an imperial decree appointing him as Langzhong (a court official).
Li Mi, unwilling to take office, wrote a 'Memorial to the Throne' to Emperor Wu of Jin, stating that his grandmother was all alone and utterly helpless, and that he would only take office after caring for her.

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Open the tool →零丁孤苦 (líng dīng gū kǔ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Alone and helpless”.
零丁孤苦 is pronounced líng dīng gū kǔ in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 零丁孤苦 means “Solitary and miserable”. It is used to mean “Alone and helpless”.
零丁孤苦 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
孤单困苦,无所依傍。