개같이 벌어서 정승같이 쓰라고 · 개같이 벌어서 정승같이 쓴다더니
earn money through any honest hard work, but spend it nobly (lit. earn like a dog, spend like a high minister)
Example
개같이 벌어서 정승같이 쓰라고, 그분은 평생 모은 돈을 기부했어요.
Earn like a dog, spend like a minister, as they say: he donated all the money he had saved over his life.
Word parts
정 government+승 minister
정승 was a top minister of the Joseon court: earn money humbly through any hard, lowly work, but spend it generously and with dignity.
Good to know
Pronounced [개가치 버러서 정승가치 쓴다]. 개같이 can sound rude on its own, but this proverb is well known and not vulgar; it is often quoted about people who donate hard-earned savings.
Related words