Nuance Dictionary / Sounds & Sensations
아등바등 a-deung-ba-deung
Scratching, clawing, and hustling with desperate, white-knuckled endurance just to stay afloat.
What does 아등바등 mean?
아등바등 (a-deung-ba-deung) means: Scratching, clawing, and hustling with desperate, white-knuckled endurance just to stay afloat.
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How it's actually used
- 월세 내려고 아등바등 버티는 중이야.
wol-se nae-ryeo-go a-deung-ba-deung beo-ti-neun jung-i-ya.
I'm just barely clawing my way through to make rent.
💡 Reveals the financial desperation tied to modern urban survival. - 그렇게 아등바등 안 살아도 돼, 여유를 가져.
geu-reo-ke a-deung-ba-deung an sa-ra-do dwae, yeo-yu-reul ga-jyeo.
You don't have to live your life so white-knuckled and stressed; give yourself some breathing room.
💡 Used affectionately or pityingly to tell someone to stop torturing themselves over success. - 남들 다 치열하게 아등바등 살아가니까 나도 어쩔 수 없어.
nam-deul da chi-yeol-ha-ge a-deung-ba-deung sa-ra-ga-ni-ka na-do eoj-jil su eop-seo.
Everyone else is living this cutthroat, gritty grind, so I have no choice either.
💡 Highlights the exhausting collective rat race that defines contemporary Seoul life.
Related words in Sounds & Sensations
아기자기 a-gi-ja-gi아웅다웅 a-ung-da-ung바글바글 ba-geul-ba-geul반짝 ban-jjak반짝반짝 banjjak-banjjak