-(으)락 -(으)락

Joins two opposite actions or states to show that they keep switching back and forth.

나열·첨가Listing & adding

Han: -(으)락 -(으)락 is not freely productive; 울다/웃다 has no fixed -락 form, so the general alternation pattern -다가 -다가 하다 is used.

Examples

두 팀은 경기 내내 엎치락뒤치락하며 치열한 접전을 벌였다.The two teams kept trading the lead throughout the match in a fierce battle.

그 기업은 업계를 쥐락펴락할 만큼 영향력이 크다.That company is so influential that it can control the whole industry at will.

비가 하루 종일 오락가락해서 우산을 챙길지 말지 고민했어요.The rain kept starting and stopping all day, so I couldn’t decide whether to take an umbrella.

부장님의 말을 듣고 그의 얼굴이 붉으락푸르락했다.Hearing the manager’s words, his face turned red and pale by turns with anger.

-(으)락 -(으)락vs-다가 -다가 하다-다가 -다가 is productive and works with any verbs, while -(으)락 -(으)락 is mostly limited to fixed pairs of opposites: 울다가 웃다가 했다.

V1/A1+(으)락 V2/A2+(으)락 (+ 하다)

붉다 + 푸르다 → 붉으락푸르락하다; 오다 + 가다 → 오락가락하다

The two words are usually opposites, and most combinations are fixed expressions (오락가락, 붉으락푸르락, 쥐락펴락, 엎치락뒤치락, 들락날락); you generally cannot invent new pairs freely.
It cannot end a sentence by itself: it is followed by 하다 (written together, e.g. 오락가락하다) or used as an adverb before a verb.
Tense and politeness go on 하다, not on the -락 parts: 오락가락했다, not 왔으락갔으락.
It describes one subject’s back-and-forth; for an exchange between people (giving and receiving) use -거니 -거니.

Wrong: ~~아이가 하루 종일 울락웃으락했다.~~

Right: 아이가 하루 종일 울다가 웃다가 했다.

-(으)락 -(으)락 is not freely productive; 울다/웃다 has no fixed -락 form, so the general alternation pattern -다가 -다가 하다 is used.

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