Korean slang profile

달삼쓰뱉

dalsamsseubaet

A figurative expression for accepting what benefits oneself and turning away from what does not.

Expanded form: 달면 삼키고 쓰면 뱉는다달면 삼키고 쓰면 뱉는다 (swallow it if sweet, spit it out if bitter)
Other spellings: —
Earliest source found: Dec 20, 2013
Documented trend period: Not verified

This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.

01Examples, with English translations

Example by Julimmal
좋을 때만 함께한다면 달삼쓰뱉이라는 말을 듣겠지.
If you’re only around when things are good, people will call that 달삼쓰뱉.

02Documented history

2013-12-20“2013년 신어 자료집”, published by the National Institute of Korean Language, included the headword and definition.[1]

03Origin & word formation

The National Institute of Korean Language’s “2013년 신어 자료집” lists the expression and explains its meaning. It describes it as short for “달면 삼키고 쓰면 뱉는다”. Its original creator and exact date of creation have not been verified.

Evidence for the origin explanationMedium

The headword, definition, and examples of usage on PDF page 26 were directly compared. This is based on a single collection; the older article texts quoted there were not directly checked. The earliest verified date is the collection’s publication date, given on the copyright page on PDF page 69.

04Sources

Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.

2013년 신어 자료집 — PDF 26쪽 (국립국어원)Published Dec 20, 2013Original source checked Nov 14, 2026