Mak-sang-mak-ha

莫

없을 막

上

위 상

莫

없을 막

下

아래 하

Character by character

Meaning

Neither above nor below — evenly matched.

Origin

A Korean coinage rather than a Chinese classic, settled into meaning that neither side can be ranked higher.

How it is used

Used when a match or a contest is too close to call.

Hanja莫上莫下

Simplified莫上莫下

Korean reading막상막하

Pinyinmò shàng mò xià

Frequently asked questions

Q. What does Mak-sang-mak-ha mean?

莫上莫下 · Neither above nor below — evenly matched.

Q. Where does Mak-sang-mak-ha come from?

A Korean coinage rather than a Chinese classic, settled into meaning that neither side can be ranked higher.

Q. How is Mak-sang-mak-ha used?

Used when a match or a contest is too close to call.

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.同苦同樂 Dong-go-dong-nakSharing the hardship and the joy alike.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.

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.