Home » Language» Maxims
Buddhist Monk Praying (www.templelooter.com)
Confucius Monument
Pieces of Korean Wisdom
-
안되면 조상에 탓.
If a man fails he blames his ancestors.
Comment: A fool blames others if something goes wrong for him.
-
성내어 돌부리 차면 내 발뿌리 아프다.
Kick a stone in anger and you will hurt your own foot.
Comment: If one should vent his anger on any person for a trifling or minor provocation, he will only hurt himself.
-
잔잡은 팔이 밖으로 펴지지 못한다.
An arm holding a cup cannot stretch outwards.
Comment: Blood is thicker than water.
-
아주머니 떡도 싸야 사먹지.
Even though one's aunt sells the cakes, no one will buy unless it is cheap.
Comment: Even between close friends and relatives one may not serve the other unless he could get some profit out of the service.
-
미운 아이 떡 한개 더 준다.
Give one more cake to a child whom you don't like.
Comment: The more hatred you feel against a man, the more love you pretend to express with a lot of butter and jam.
-
콩 심은데 콩나고 팥심은데 팥난다.
Soy beans grow from soy bean seeds; red beans grow from red bean seeds.
Comment: Like father like son.
-
치러 갔다가 맞기도 한다.
Go to beat up and be beaten up instead.
Comment: A man who asks for something might be asked for the same thing or something else instead of being given the thing desired.
-
입은 거지는 얻어 먹어도 벗은 거지는 못 얻어 먹는다.
A dressed beggar can get food, but a naked beggar cannot.
Comment: Clothing is very important even to a beggar. Clothes make the man.
-
배보다 배꼽이 크다.
The navel is larger than the belly.
Comment: Abnormal. The interest is more than the principle; more expenses are incurred in getting a profit of a smaller amount.
-
꽁지 빠진 새 같다.
A bird without a tail.
Comment: The tail adds much to the beauty of the bird, and if the tail drops off , the bird would lose its attractiveness to the point of being ridiculous. This is spoken of an odd looking person, queerly proportioned, lacking the beauty of balance.
-
소경이 개전 나무라기.
The blind man blames the ditch.
Comment: It is foolish for a blind man to be angry with the ditch into which he has fallen , because the fall is due to his own lack of sight. Likewise it is useless to complain of the world when a man has fallen into adversity, for he should rather blame his own shortcomings and resolve to rise up again with redoubled efforts.
-
국에 테인 놈 물보고 본다.
One who has burned his lips with broth blows on cold water.
Comment: This is spoken of a person who has become cautious because he was very frightened at something before. Once, bitten, twice shy.
-
될성부른 나물은 떡닢부터 알아본다.
A fine vegetable is told by the look of its shoots.
Comment: A fine child becomes a fine gentleman. As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.
-
내철 부처는 내가 위하여야 한다.
The Buddha in my temple should be worshiped by myself.
Comment: The monks worship best above all Buddhas the Buddha in their own temple. One must sere his own master.
-
그림에 떡.
A cake in a picture.
Comment: One cannot eat cakes in a picture , although one may feast one's eyes on them. This is said of something which makes one's mouth water but can never be one's own.
-
나중 꿀 한식기 보다 당장 엿 한가락이 더 달다.
A bar of candy today is sweeter than a bowl of honey tomorrow.
Comment: An immediate small profit is more attractive than a large profit in the distant future.
-
어린아이 매도 많이 맞으면 아프다.
Even a child may hurt if he hits many times.
Comment: Many small loses will become a big loss.
-
다람쥐 체바퀴 돌 듯.
Like a chipmunk running round the wheel of a sieve.
Comment: Running in circles, getting nowhere.
-
게도 구럭도 다 잃었다.
Lose both the crabs and the crabbing bag.
Comment: The man who went fishing crabs, let go os his catch of crabs and lost his crabbing bag ,too. So this means instead of making a profit to suffer a loss.
-
안되면 조상에 탓.
If a man fails he blames his ancestors.
Comment: A fool blames others if something goes wrong for him.
-
딸이 셋이면 문을 열어 놓고 잔다.
If one has three daughters he may sleep with his door open.
Comment: After spending large sums on marrying off so many daughters, nothing remains in the house for the thieves to take. So the father may sleep at night without closing the door to keep out the thieves.
-
당나귀 귀치레.
The donkey makes up his ear.
Comment: A donkey's ears look funny, so this is said when making the funny thing look funnier.
-
개천에서 용 난다.
A dragon rises from a ditch.
Comment: A dragon is supposed to rise from the sea or ocean, but not from a ditch. And if it does, it is an uncommon dragon. This means the son of a humble family rises to glory.
-
옷은 새것이 좋고 사람은 옛 사람이 좋다.
In dress, the newest is the finest; in friends, the oldest is the best.
Comment: Man must change into new clothes to look neat and tidy, but he must keep old acquaintances to have unchanging friendship.
-
법은 멀고 주먹은 가깝다..
The law is far, the fist is near.
Comment: There is more danger in one visible blow of the fist than in twenty judges who will in the future sit on the bench far away and pass sentence on the law-breaker.
-
쇠가 쇠를 먹고 살이 살을 먹는다.
Iron eats iron; flesh eats flesh.
Comment: A quarrel among close relatives.
-
비는 장수 목 벨가.
No one will cut off the head of a general who begs for his life.
Comment: If a man begs for pardon, he will be shown mercy.
-
세살적 버릇 여든까지 간다.
A habit at three years continues till eighty.
Comment: A childhood habit is hard to stop even in old age.
-
두 손뼉이 맞아야 소리가 난다.
It takes the clap of two hands to make a sound.
Comment: Nothing can be done without teamwork; there is no quarrel without the clash of the two interested parties.
-
하늘이 무너져도 솟아날 구멍이 있다.
Though the heavens fall, there will be a hole to escape through.
Comment: Even in the midst of a great calamity man can find a way of salvation.
-
주인 많은 나그네 밥 굶는다.
Too many hosts make the guest go hungry.
Comment: A guest who makes a round of calls on too many homes from morning till night may not be invited to dinner at any home, because each host will think that he has already eaten a meal at some other house. Doing too many things at one time will bring success to none.
-
옥에도 티가 있다.
Even jade has flaws in it.
Comment: Nothing is perfect.
-
한편 말만 듣고 송사 못한다.
Judgement cannot be given by listeneing to one side only.
-
칼치가 칼치 꼬리 문다.
One knifefish bites the tail of another knifefish.
Comment: Backbiting among false friends.
-
병 주고 약 준다.
First give the malady, and next the remedy.
Comment: First, bring ruin to a person by making trouble, and then pretend to help him out of that trouble. Hypocrisy.
-
고기는 씹어야 맛이 나고 말을 해야 맛이 난다.
The taste of meat comes from chewing , and of words from speaking.
Comment: One must speak out what he has on hid mind.
-
먼 사촌 보다 가까운 이웃이 낫다.
A neighbor nearby is better than a cousin far away.
Comment: In a time of emergency, a far away relative is of no use , but a nearby neighbor is helpful.
-
고추 보다 후추가 더 맵다.
Black pepper is hotter than red pepper.
Comment: Black pepper is smaller than red pepper, but it is a stronger spice. This is said of a small man who is superior to a big man.
-
꿩 대신 닭도 쓴다.
Use a chicken instead of a pheasant.
Comment: If you cannot get what you want, use what you can get.
-
의원이 제병 못고친다.
A physician cannot cure his own ailment.
Comment: This has the same meaning as "A monk cannot shave his own head"; "A witch cannot outdance her own devils." This is said of a man who cannot settle an affair in which he is personally involve.
-
고운 사람 미운데 없고 미운 사람 고운데 없다.
There is nothing ugly about a pretty person, and nothing pretty about an ugly person.
Comment: Love is blind and hatred is blind, too; A deep love and a deep hatred.
-
하룻강아지 범 무서운 줄 모른다.
A day-old puppy doesn't know enough to fear the tiger.
Comment: A weak fellow of childish mind behaves rudely in the presence of a strong man.
-
속히 더운방이 쉬 식는다.
A quickly heated room cools easily.
Comment: A quick success will not last long: an upstart will soon fail.
-
끈 떨어진 광대.
A comic player whose tight-rope has broken.
Comment: The Korean comic dancers dance with a fan in the hand on a tight-rope in the air to the accomplishment of a drum, but with his tight-rope cut, the comic player can no longer perform his wondrous feat. This is said of a person who has lost his position.
-
뚝배기 보다 장맛이 낫다.
The taste of the sauce is better than the sauce pan.
Comment: Korean dishes for holding soy sauce are not very artistic even though the soy sauce is very tasty. The contents are more important than the container.
-
짚신에 국화 그린다.
Paint chrysanthemums on a straw shoe.
Comment: In old Korea, well-to-do ladies, especially brides, wore colored slippers of leather coated with red or green silk, interwoven with flower-designs whereas the country women in poor homes wore only straw shoes.
-
명주옷은 사촌까지 덥다.
Silk clothing warms even a cousin.
Comment: Rich people wear silk, so if a man becomes rich, all his relatives enjoy the benefits of his wealth.
-
웃고 뺨친다.
Smile and slap a man in the face.
Comment: Smile on the face; dagger in the heart.
-
눈 우에 서리 친다.
Frost falls upon the snow.
Comment: If frost falls upon the snow, it will be colder and more desolate; one misfortune rides on the neck of another.
-
제꾀에 넘는다.
To stumble over one's own trick.
Comment: One falls into a trap of one's own making while trying to trap other people with it.
-
남을 물에 넣으려면 먼저 들어간다.
If you push other people into the water, you shall drown first.
Comment: Anyone who tries to injure others will injure himself first.
-
밤새도록 통곡해도 어느 마누라 초상인지 모른다.
Wail all night but not know which mistress is dead.
Comment: In old Korea, when the master or mistress of a well-to-do family died, they hired maids whose duty was to wail for pay without taking the trouble to know whether they mourned for the grandmother, mother or wife of the house. This custom was particularly observed in the homes of nobles who pretended to express their filial piety by the crying of their hired maids. This is said of a man who works day in and day out ,but does not know what he is working for.