Nuance Dictionary / People & Relationships
내리사랑 nae-ri-sa-rang
The immutable law of parental affection that flows strictly downward—bottomless, unrequited, and never fully returned upward.
What does 내리사랑 mean?
내리사랑 (nae-ri-sa-rang) means: The immutable law of parental affection that flows strictly downward—bottomless, unrequited, and never fully returned upward.
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How it's actually used
- 부모가 되어보니 비로소 내리사랑의 무게를 알겠더라고요.
bu-mo-ga ddoe-eo-bo-ni bi-ro-so nae-ri-sa-rang-eui mu-gae-reul al-get-de-ra-go-yo.
Only after becoming a parent did I finally come to understand the weight of downward parental love.
💡 Reveals that the word is deeply tied to personal maturation and the realization of life's one-way debts. - 효도하겠다는 말에 엄마는 치이듯 웃으며 내리사랑이라 치부하셨다.
hyo-do-ha-get-da-neun mal-e om-ma-neun chi-i-deut ut-u-myeo nae-ri-sa-rang-i-ra chi-bu-ha-syeot-da.
When I said I'd be a dutiful child, Mom just gave a tired, knowing smile and brushed it off as mere 'nae-ri-sa-rang.'
💡 Shows how parents use the concept to absolve their children from feeling guilty about not loving them back equally.
Related words in People & Relationships
남사친 nam-sa-chin썸남 sseom-nam썸녀 sseom-nyeo여사친 yeo-sa-chin손길 son-gil