荣辱与共 (róng rǔ yǔ gòng) — to share honor and disgrace together; to be bound together through good times and bad

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning two parties share both honor and disgrace — typically used for close allies, family, or nations bound through thick and thin.

idiom
to share honor and disgrace togetherto be bound together through good times and bad

Examples

  • 荣辱与共，。
    Liǎng guó rén mín róng rǔ yǔ gòng, yǒu yì yuán yuǎn liú cháng.
    The people of the two countries share honor and disgrace together, and their friendship has a long history.
  • ，荣辱与共。
    Wǒ men shì yì jiā rén, yīng dāng róng rǔ yǔ gòng.
    We are one family, so we should share honor and disgrace together.
  • 荣辱与共。
    Zhēn zhèng de péng you huì yǔ nǐ róng rǔ yǔ gòng.
    True friends will share honor and disgrace with you.

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.

荣辱honor and disgrace
荣rónghonor辱rǔdisgrace
联合Side by side
与共together
与yǔtogether with共gòngtogether
联合Side by side

The 荣辱 honor and disgrace are shared together through 与共.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 榮; 荣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
熒
熒yíng榮róng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 榮 pairs 木, a tree/wood part, with 熒 (yíng) as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 荣 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 荣 →

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

辱 combines 辰, drawn as a hoe, with 寸, drawn as a hand.

Open 辱 →

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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