患难与共 (huàn nàn yǔ gòng) — (idiom) to go through thick and thin together; to share hardships and remain united

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning 'to share hardship and stick together through hard times.' Used for close relationships tested by adversity — friends, spouses, comrades — not casual acquaintances.

idiom
to go through thick and thin togetherto share hardships and remain united

Examples

  • 患难与共，。
    Tā men shì huàn nàn yǔ gòng de hǎo péng you, yì qǐ jīng lì guò hěn duō kùn nan.
    They are close friends who have gone through thick and thin together and experienced many difficulties.
  • ，患难与共，。
    Zhè duì fū qī jié hūn sān shí nián, yì zhí huàn nàn yǔ gòng, gǎn qíng hěn shēn.
    This couple has been married for thirty years, always sharing hardships, and their bond is very deep.
  • ，患难与共。
    Zài zhàn chǎng shàng, tā men shì zuì huàn nàn yǔ gòng de zhàn yǒu.
    On the battlefield, they were comrades who shared hardships to the fullest.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

患难
患huànhardship难nándisaster
联合Side by side
与共
与yǔtogether共gòngshare
联合Side by side

When 患难 is shared 与共, the sense is going through hardships together.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
串
串chuàn患huàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

患 is made from 心, a heart, plus 串, which gives the sound. Some old explanations also read the upper part as piercing through the heart.

Open 患 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 難; 难 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
暵
暵hàn難nán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional 難 pairs 隹, a bird, with 暵 for sound, and meant a type of bird. It was later borrowed for other meanings; the modern 难 is a shorthand.

Open 难 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 與; 与 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 與 is built from 舁 and 牙, and both parts give the sound.

Open 与 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 廾廾gǒngtwo hands
  • 口口kǒuan object

共 shows 廾, two hands, holding up an object. That object was written 口 and later became the 廿-like top.

Open 共 →

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