Dong-go-dong-nak

同

한가지 동

苦

쓸 고

同

한가지 동

樂

즐길 락

Character by character

Meaning

Sharing the hardship and the joy alike.

Origin

Widely used in Korea, in the same idiom family as the classical phrase about sharing joy with the people.

How it is used

Said of colleagues or comrades who have been through a lot together.

Hanja同苦同樂

Simplified同苦同乐

Korean reading동고동락

Pinyintóng kǔ tóng lè

Frequently asked questions

Q. What does Dong-go-dong-nak mean?

同苦同樂 · Sharing the hardship and the joy alike.

Q. Where does Dong-go-dong-nak come from?

Widely used in Korea, in the same idiom family as the classical phrase about sharing joy with the people.

Q. How is Dong-go-dong-nak used?

Said of colleagues or comrades who have been through a lot together.

Idioms in the same group

管鮑之交 Gwan-po-ji-gyoThe friendship of Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya — friends who truly know each other.竹馬故友 Juk-ma-go-uAn old friend from bamboo-horse days — someone you grew up with.百年偕老 Baeng-nyeon-hae-roGrowing old together for a hundred years.人之常情 In-ji-sang-jeongThe ordinary feeling any human being would have.類類相從 Yu-yu-sang-jongLike follows like — similar people gather together.結草報恩 Gyeol-cho-bo-eunTie the grass to repay a kindness — gratitude that outlasts death.

The idioms used in Korea mix phrases from the Chinese classics with ones coined in Korea. Where an expression is not used in China, the entry says so.