허리가 휘다.
heoriga hwida.
To have a bent back (from work).
Phrase in 30 Seconds
Use this to describe working so hard or facing such high costs that you feel physically and mentally crushed.
- Means: To be overwhelmed by hard work or heavy financial burdens.
- Used in: Discussing long office hours, rising prices, or expensive tuition fees.
- Don't confuse: It's not about a medical back injury; it's a metaphor for effort.
Explanation at your level:
Bedeutung
To work extremely hard, often implying physical strain or difficulty.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The phrase is deeply tied to 'Education Fever' (교육열). Parents often sacrifice their retirement savings for their children's private education, literally 'bending their backs' for the next generation. The 'Jigye' (A-frame carrier) was the primary tool for transport. The physical reality of a farmer's bent back from years of carrying wood is the visual root of this idiom. Used to describe the 'Overtime Culture' (야근 문화). Employees use it to express that the workload is unsustainable. First-generation immigrants often use this phrase to describe the hard manual labor they performed in new countries to support their children's education.
Use with '-느라'
Always try to say *why* your back is bending using '-느라'. E.g., '공부하느라', '일하느라'.
Not for physical injury
If you fell down and your back hurts, do not use this. People will think you are talking about your job.
Bedeutung
To work extremely hard, often implying physical strain or difficulty.
Use with '-느라'
Always try to say *why* your back is bending using '-느라'. E.g., '공부하느라', '일하느라'.
Not for physical injury
If you fell down and your back hurts, do not use this. People will think you are talking about your job.
The 'Spine Breaker' connection
If you like K-pop, listen to BTS's 'Spine Breaker' (등골브레이커) to understand the cultural weight of this idiom.
Empathy is key
When someone says this to you, the best response is '정말 고생이 많으시네요' (You are really going through a lot).
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the blank with the correct form of '허리가 휘다'.
요즘 물가가 너무 비싸서 생활비 때문에 ( ).
The context is high prices and living costs, which is a classic 'bending back' situation.
Which situation is the MOST appropriate for using '허리가 휘다'?
When would a Korean person say this?
The phrase is used for heavy financial or work burdens.
Complete the dialogue.
가: 김 과장님, 요즘 왜 그렇게 피곤해 보이세요? 나: 프로젝트 마감이라서 ( ).
'-도록 일하다' is a common pattern to show the intensity of work.
Match the phrase to the meaning.
Match '허리가 휘다' with its figurative meaning.
The 'bending' represents the weight of the burden.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Literal vs Figurative
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenNo, it's a very standard idiom. However, don't use it to describe a superior's work unless you are being very empathetic, as it might sound like you're commenting on their personal struggle too familiarly.
Yes, you can use it literally if a bag is extremely heavy, but 90% of the time it's used figuratively.
'허리' is the waist/lower back. '등골' is the spine. '등골이 휘다' is more dramatic and often implies someone else is 'sucking the life' out of you (like a child spending a parent's money).
Use '허리를 펴다'. It means you are finally out of a difficult situation.
Yes, it's very common in newspaper editorials about the economy.
That usually refers to the physical posture of an old person. For the idiom of burden, '휘다' is the correct verb.
Yes, '등골 브레이커' (Spine Breaker) is a famous slang term derived from this concept.
Not necessarily. It usually just expresses that the current situation is very hard to endure.
Usually, it's tied to work or money. For purely emotional stress, '마음이 무겁다' (heart is heavy) is better.
Yes, young people use it to complain about part-time jobs or high rent.
Verwandte Redewendungen
등골이 휘다
similarTo have one's spine bend.
뼈 빠지게 일하다
synonymTo work so hard your bones fall out.
허리를 펴다
contrastTo straighten one's back.
고생문이 훤하다
builds onThe gate of hardship is wide open.
손이 발이 되도록 빌다
similarTo pray until your hands become feet.
Wo du es verwendest
Complaining about inflation
A: 요즘 마트 가기가 겁나요. 사과 하나에 오천 원이라니!
B: 진짜요. 물가 때문에 아주 허리가 휘겠어요.
Discussing child education
부모 1: 애들 학원비를 내고 나면 남는 게 없어요.
부모 2: 맞아요. 부모들 허리가 휘는 줄도 모르고 애들은 놀기만 하네요.
At the office
김 대리: 이번 프로젝트 때문에 매일 야근이에요.
이 대리: 그러게요. 우리 이러다 허리 휘겠어요. 좀 쉬면서 해요.
Talking about debt
철수: 집 대출금을 언제 다 갚을지 모르겠어.
영희: 이자 갚느라 허리가 휘겠다. 힘내!
Moving house
친구: 이사 도와줘서 고마워!
나: 고맙긴. 짐이 너무 많아서 허리가 휘는 줄 알았어!
News Broadcast
앵커: 계속되는 경기 불황으로 서민들의 허리가 휘고 있습니다.
기자: 네, 현장에 나가 있는 취재기자 연결해 보겠습니다.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of a heavy 'H' (for Heori/Waist) pressing down on a straight line until it curves like a 'U' (for Uh-oh, it's bending!).
Visual Association
Imagine a person carrying a giant, golden '₩' (Won symbol) on their back. The symbol is so heavy that their spine is curved like a bow (휘다).
Rhyme
Heori-ga hwida, life is a bit of a hwi-da (wind-a/struggle).
Story
Once there was a farmer named Kim who carried 100 bags of rice to pay for his son's school. By the end of the day, his back was no longer straight; it was curved like a crescent moon. He looked at his son and said, 'My back is bending (허리가 휘다), but your future is straight.'
Word Web
Herausforderung
Try to find one news headline today on a Korean site (like Naver News) that uses the word '허리' and '휘다'. They are everywhere in the economy section!
In Other Languages
To break one's back
Korean focuses on the 'bending' (endurance) while English focuses on the 'breaking' (total collapse).
身を粉にする (Mi o ko ni suru)
Japanese focuses on the destruction of the self; Korean focuses on the weight being carried.
累弯了腰 (Lèi wānle yāo)
The usage is almost identical, but the Korean version is more idiomatic for financial stress.
Dejarse la piel
Spanish emphasizes the sacrifice of the surface/self; Korean emphasizes the structural support (the back).
Se tuer à la tâche
French is more dramatic (death), whereas Korean is more about the ongoing struggle (bending).
Sich den Buckel krumm arbeiten
The German version is slightly more informal/colloquial than the Korean one.
قصم ظهره (Qasama zahrahu)
Arabic often uses it for a single catastrophic event, while Korean uses it for long-term pressure.
Trabalhar que nem um camelo
Uses an animal metaphor instead of a body part metaphor.
Easily Confused
Learners think it's just a way to say 'my back hurts.'
If it's a medical pain, use '아프다'. If it's about life being hard, use '휘다'.
Both involve bending the waist.
'굽히다' is an intentional action (like bowing or yielding), while '휘다' is an involuntary bending due to weight.
FAQ (10)
No, it's a very standard idiom. However, don't use it to describe a superior's work unless you are being very empathetic, as it might sound like you're commenting on their personal struggle too familiarly.
Yes, you can use it literally if a bag is extremely heavy, but 90% of the time it's used figuratively.
'허리' is the waist/lower back. '등골' is the spine. '등골이 휘다' is more dramatic and often implies someone else is 'sucking the life' out of you (like a child spending a parent's money).
Use '허리를 펴다'. It means you are finally out of a difficult situation.
Yes, it's very common in newspaper editorials about the economy.
That usually refers to the physical posture of an old person. For the idiom of burden, '휘다' is the correct verb.
Yes, '등골 브레이커' (Spine Breaker) is a famous slang term derived from this concept.
Not necessarily. It usually just expresses that the current situation is very hard to endure.
Usually, it's tied to work or money. For purely emotional stress, '마음이 무겁다' (heart is heavy) is better.
Yes, young people use it to complain about part-time jobs or high rent.
