Conduct & Attitude
苦盡甘來
고진감래
kǔ jìn gān lái
Go-jin-gam-nae
苦
쓸 고
盡
다할 진
甘
달 감
來
올 래
Character by character
Meaning
When the bitter ends, the sweet arrives — hardship gives way to better days.
Origin
A phrase common in Yuan-era drama that settled into everyday proverb.
How it is used
Said as encouragement to someone enduring a long stretch of difficulty.
Hanja苦盡甘來
Simplified苦尽甘来
Korean reading고진감래
Pinyinkǔ jìn gān lái
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does Go-jin-gam-nae mean?
苦盡甘來 · When the bitter ends, the sweet arrives — hardship gives way to better days.
Q. Where does Go-jin-gam-nae come from?
A phrase common in Yuan-era drama that settled into everyday proverb.
Q. How is Go-jin-gam-nae used?
Said as encouragement to someone enduring a long stretch of difficulty.
Idioms in the same group
有備無患 Yu-bi-mu-hwanIf you prepare in advance, there is nothing to worry about.易地思之 Yeok-ji-sa-jiThink about it after swapping places with the other person.初志一貫 Cho-ji-il-gwanCarry the resolve you started with all the way through, unchanged.名不虛傳 Myeong-bul-heo-jeonThe reputation was not passed on in vain — it lives up to the name.靑出於藍 Cheong-chul-eo-ramThe blue drawn from the indigo plant is bluer than the plant — the student surpasses the teacher.大器晩成 Dae-gi-man-seongA great vessel takes long to finish — those destined for greatness succeed late.
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.