Zhànyǒu zhījiān tónggān-gòngkǔ de qíngyì zuì shēn.
The bond between comrades who've shared hardship runs deepest.
Tips
history
Rooted in 《战国策·燕策一》, which describes King Zhao of Yan 与百姓同其甘苦 - sharing sweet and bitter with the people - in order to rebuild the state after defeat. The standard four-character form crystallized later.
memory
甘 = sweet, 苦 = bitter. 同 + 共 both mean 'together'. Two ways of saying 'together' wrapped around the two opposite flavors of life: sweet together, bitter together.
