同甘共苦 (Tóng gān gòng kǔ)
(1) shared delights and common hardships (idiom); to share life’s joys and sorrows
(2) for better or for worse
From https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E5%90%8C%E7%94%98%E5%85%B1%E8%8B%A6/836632
Source: The King of Yan provided condolences to the dead and paid respect to the living; he shared delights and common hardships with the common citizens – Zhan Guo Ce – First Book of Yan.
In the Warring States Period, civil strife broke out in the State of Yan, and the State of Qi took advantage of this opportunity to send troops to attack Yan’s cities, nearly destroying Yan.
It was against this backdrop that King Zhao of Yan returned to Yan to ascend to the throne through the help of King Wuling of Zhao. Upon seeing the barren lands and impoverished citizens of Yan as a result of the war, King Zhao of Yan vowed to make Yan prosperous and powerful once again, and then to take revenge on the State of Qi afterward. As such, he personally went to see a man of merit from Yan, Guo Kui (郭隗), and inquired about ways to make a country prosperous and its army strong. Guo Kui (or Wei?) told him: “Since ancient times, sovereigns who had achieved greatness were all revered men of [great] merits. Only by treating the wise with courtesy and respect would talented men come to help you. If you are to treat people rudely and impolitely, then you’d only be able to attract villains who are after personal profit before anything else.” King Zhao of Yan hurriedly asked: “What should I do now?” Guo Kui (or Wei) replied: “If Your Highness truly wants to attract talents, you can begin with me! If other men of merits hear that someone like me is being placed in an important position, they will surely come and pledge their allegiance to you.” King Zhao of Yan followed Guo Kui’s advice and built a courtyard specifically for him, then ceremoniously made him his teacher. When this news spread, men of talents from all over the land flocked to the State of Yan, the most famous among them were the great general Yue Yi (樂毅) and the great scholar Zou Yan (鄒衍).
King Zhao of Yan also held a memorial service for the soldiers who died in the war and showed sympathies for the families of the deceased. He insisted on sharing delights and hardships with the common people, to be together in both matters of life and death, and spent twenty eight difficult years in doing so. In the end, with the assistance of capable ministers and King Zhao of Yan’s wise rule, the State of Yan became increasingly rich and powerful, the citizens lived a prosperous life, the army’s morale was high, and the entire country was united [in their resolve]. King Zhao felt that the time [for revenge] was ripe, so he appointed Yue Yi as the grand commander and sent troops to attack the State of Qi, finally avenging their defeat from years past.
—– VOCABULARY —–
吊 diào – to suspend; to hang up; to hang a person; a string of 100 cash (arch.); to lament; to condole with [[điếu: treo; thu hồi, lấy lại; lấy ra; phúng, viếng (người chết); được treo lên; lượng từ – quan tiền, đơn vị tiền tệ ngày xưa, bằng một ngàn đồng tiền]]
提煉 tí liàn – to extract (ore, minerals etc); to refine; to purify; to process [[tinh luyện, kim loại, chiết xuất, tinh chế]]
趁機 chèn jī – to seize an opportunity; to take advantage of situation
攻占 gōng zhàn – to seize control of (an enemy position); (fig.) to take by storm; to gain (awards, control of a market etc.)
噲 kuài – throat; to swallow [[khoái: yết hầu, cổ họng; nuốt xuống; vừa ý, sướng thích, thoải mái; “khoái khoái” 噲噲 rộng rãi sáng sủa]]
差點 chà diǎn – almost, nearly
荒蕪 huāng wú – left to return to unchecked growth; overgrown; grown wild
凋敝 diāo bì – impoverished; destitute; hard; depressed (of business); tattered; ragged
凋 diāo – withered [[điêu: tàn, rạc, như điêu linh 凋零 rời rạc tan tác; tàn rụng, suy tàn, tàn tạ, héo rụng, suy bại, rời rạc]]
敝 bì – my (polite); poor; ruined; shabby; worn out; defeated [[tệ: nát, hư, rách; mệt mỏi; lời nói khiêm – hẹp hòi, kém cỏi; thua, thất bại]]
並且 bìng qiě – and; besides; moreover; furthermore; in addition [[và, vả lại, mà còn]]
隗 wěi – eminent; lofty [[ngôi: cao, như “ngôi” 嵬]]
詢問 xún wèn – to inquire
詢 xún – to ask about; to inquire about [[tuân: tra hỏi, hỏi ý nhiều người để quyết nên chăng; tin; đều, bằng]]
粗暴 cū bào – rough; cruel
粗 cū – coarse; rough; thick (for cylindrical objects); unfinished; vulgar; rude; crude; remote; distant [[thô: to, lớn; không mịn, thiếu tinh tế, sơ sài; vụng về, thô thiển, sơ suất, quê kệch; to, lớn (tiếng nói); sơ, bước đầu, qua loa]]
唯利是圖 wéi lì shì tú – to seek nothing but profit (idiom); personal profit before everything; self-seeking
唯 wéi – -ism; only; alone [[duy: độc, chỉ, bui; dụy – dạ, tiếng thưa lại ngay]]
招攬 zhāo lǎn – to attract (customers); to drum up (trade)
攬 lǎn – to monopolize; to seize; to take into one’s arms; to embrace; to fasten (with a rope etc); to take on (responsibility etc); to canvass [[lãm: nắm giữ, nắm hết; bao thầu; ôm lấy, bồng, bế, ẵm; hái, ngắt, bắt lấy; gạt; gây ra, đem lại; chiêu dẫn, lôi kéo; vén, thoát ra; xem, nhìn]]
紛紛 fēn fēn – one after another; in succession; one by one; continuously; diverse; in profusion; numerous and confused; pell-mell
專門 zhuān mén – specialist; specialized; customized [[chuyên môn, chuyên nghiên cứu về một thứ]]
修建 xiū jiàn – to build; to construct [[xây dựng, cất lên
投奔 tóu bèn – to seek shelter; to seek asylum
毅 yì – firm and resolute; staunch [[nghị: quả quyết, cứng cỏi; tài giỏi, dũng mãnh; nghiêm khắc; nghiêm chỉnh; giận dữ, thịnh nộ; (thuật ngữ cờ vây) con cờ chết và ván cờ xong]]
衍 yǎn – to spread out, to develop, to overflow, to amplify, superfluous [[diễn: kéo dài, mở rộng, triển khai; tản ra, phân bố; sinh sôi nẩy nở, nhung nhúc; rộng, lớn; vui vẻ, hoan lạc; dư, thừa; đất thấp và bằng phẳng; sườn núi; đầm nước, chằm; đồ đựng bằng tre (sọt, …)]]
爭先恐後 zhēng xiān kǒng hòu – striving to be first and fearing to be last (idiom); outdoing one another
湧 yǒng – to bubble up; to rush forth [[dũng: nước vọt ra, tuôn ra, trào dâng; vọt lên, tăng vọt, vụt hiện ra]]
祭奠 jì diàn – to offer sacrifices (to one’s ancestors); to hold or attend a memorial service
奠 diàn – to fix; to settle; a libation to the dead [[điện: tiến cúng, cúng tế; dâng, hiến; đặt để, sắp bày; định yên, kiến lập; lễ vật để cúng, tế phẩm]]
體恤 tǐ xù – to empathize with; to show solicitude for; T-shirt (loanword)
恤 xù – anxiety; sympathy; to sympathize; to give relief; to compensate [[tuất: lo buồn, ưu lự; cấp giúp, chẩn cấp; thương xót, liên mẫn; đoái nghĩ, quan tâm; dè chừng, cẩn thận; tang của cha vua; tang lễ]]
輔助 fǔ zhù – to assist, to aid, supplementary, auxiliary, subsidiary [[phụ trợ]]
輔 fǔ – to assist, to complement, auxiliary [[phụ: xương má; đòn gỗ kèm hai bên xe; tên quan; chỗ đất giáp nhau; giúp]]
勵 lì – to encourage, to urge [[lệ: gắng sức, phấn phát; khuyến khích, cổ võ]]
昂揚 áng yáng – elated; high-spirited; uplifting (music) [[dũng cảm, can đảm]]
昂 áng – to lift, to raise, to raise one’s head, high, high spirits, soaring, expensive [[ngang: giơ cao, ngẩng lên; tăng cao, lên giá; tinh thần phấn chấn, hăng hái]]
揚 yáng – to raise; to hoist; the action of tossing or winnowing; scattering (in the wind); to flutter; to propagate [[dương: giơ lên, bốc lên; phô bày; khen, xưng tụng; truyền bá, lan ra; tiến cử; khích động; sảy, rẽ (trừ bỏ trấu, vỏ của ngũ cốc); vênh vang, đắc ý]]
成熟 chéng shú – mature; ripe; to mature; to ripen [[thành thục, làm quen]]
熟 shú – cooked (of food); ripe (of fruit); mature (of seeds); familiar; skilled; done [[thục: nấu chín; trưởng thành, mọc lớn lên (nói về trồng trọt); được mùa; thành thạo; đã quen, đã thuộc; luyện, rèn, thuộc, bào chế; kĩ càng, tinh tường; say]]
一舉 yī jǔ – a move; an action; in one move; at a stroke; in one go