형님먼저 아우먼저

1. 본문

"형님 먼저 아우 먼저" (Hyeongnim meonjeo, au meonjeo) is a Korean phrase that translates to "Older brother first, younger brother first." It's often associated with a famous 1978 commercial for Nongshim Ramyun, featuring comedians Koo Bong-seo and Kwak Kyu-sik. The commercial's jingle, "형님 먼저 드시오, 농심라면. / 아우 먼저 들게나, 농심라면. / 형님 먼저 아우 먼저 형님 먼저 아우 먼저..." (Older brother, you eat first, Nongshim Ramyun. / Younger brother, you eat first, Nongshim Ramyun. / Older brother first, younger brother first, older brother first, younger brother first...), became very popular.

The phrase and the commercial emphasize the traditional Korean values of respecting elders and the back-and-forth courtesy between brothers.

More broadly, "먼저" (meonjeo) means "first" or "before" in Korean. It can be used in various contexts, such as:

• "너 먼저 먹어" (neo meonjeo meogeo): "You eat first" or "You go ahead and eat before me."

The saying became so recognized that it is tied to Nongshim, so much so, that to commemorate their 60th anniversary, Nongshim re-released Nongshim Ramyun, using the "형님 먼저, 아우 먼저" phrase in its advertising campaign.