Posts tagged w/ Korean proverb

Korean Proverb of the Day

Posted by Ginny
Jun
22
2009

Today’s proverb is, “한 가지로 열 가지를 안다.”

Let’s break this sentence down for greater clarity. 한 means 하나 or one in Korean. 하나 has been shortened to 한 because there is a counter that follows it. (Whenever you have a counter following a number, the numbers 1-4, 11-14, 21-24 etc., will be shortened.) Then the counter 가지 comes after 한. 가지 can mean items or things. 로 is a particle indicating direction. 로 can be translated as “towards”. 열 means ten. 가지 follows after 열. Then the object marking particle 를 is attached to 가지. Lastly, the verb “to know” is conjugated to 안다.

If this proverb is translated literally, it would mean, “towards one thing, ten things are known.” Better yet, it means that one can deduce a variety of things about a person’s character just by one simple act. The proverb says that you can figure out ten things about a person, but the proverb is using an arbitrary number to prove a point.

I’ve heard this proverb used a lot in a negative sense. It’s usually referred to a person who is behaving in a rude manner. It’s also used in reference to strangers, so it’s a bit of a judgemental proverb.

I’ll give you an example. Let’s say that you’ve invited your significant other for the first time to meet your family. Let’s also say that your significant other started doing something rude, like hoarding food for himself or herself. In that situation, your mother may say, “”한 가지로 열 가지를 안다.”" This would mean that by hoarding food, your mother could automatically deduce the general character of the person. In other words, hoarding food could indicate that the person is generally inconsiderate or selfish.

It all goes back to first impressions. First impressions are important in Korean society. Just by the way you dress or look can determine the outcome of your future. Take for example, an interview or an arranged date. Just one wrong move and you may not get a second chance.

I think first impressions are important in any society. It’s just that in some societies, there may be more of an emphasis on first impressions than in other societies.

 
Posted under Grammar
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Korean Proverb of the Day

Posted by Ginny
Mar
17
2009

Today’s proverb is: 虛心坦懷. The pronunciation and meaning for each character are as follows:

虛 - huh (empty)

心 - shim (heart)

坦 - tan (flat)

懷 - hwe (cherish)

This proverb is used to describe a person who is frank, candid or open-minded. The character meaning empty (虛) and the character meaning heart (心) can be translated as being open minded or open hearted. The character for empty (虛) is used in the sense of “an untainted canvas”, or “a vessel that has yet to be filled”. The character for heart (心) is used in the sense of the word for “feeling” or “emotion.”

The character for flat (坦) is used to refer to someone who is unbiased. In other words, someone who is “flat” is someone who is honest with oneself and tells the truth without sugar coating it. Then there’s the character meaning “to cherish” (懷). In this proverb, this character is used to imply those feelings that one cherishes or holds dear. It can also refer to secrets that you might not want to share with the world. Secrets that you bury deep inside your heart.

This is a very difficult proverb to explain, but if I were to explain it in a sentence, it refers to a person who is so open-minded that they air out anything (even stuff that should be kept to yourself) without bias. You might think that this proverb has a negative ring to it, but that’s not necessarily true. This proverb could refer to a person who is really honest. On the other hand it could have a negative connotation when it refers to a person who keeps talking without reserve.

I like this proverb because it can explain a person without using so many words. If someone asks you, “What’s he like?” you can just answer with this proverb without being too critical of Mr. Joe or whoever it is you had in mind. It’s a convenient way to describe someone without trashing the person directly. With that being said, I’m going to conveniently end this post!

 
Posted under Korean Language
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Proverb of the Day

Posted by Ginny
Feb
3
2009

It’s that time again!  The awaited Korean Proverb of the Day!  Today’s proverb is kkamagwinun komodo salun huida (까마귀는 검어도 살은 희다).  Let’s break this proverb down to understand its core meaning.  Kkamagwi (까마귀) is a black bird, while the word kom (검) means black.  Sal (살) means flesh while hui (희)means white.  Altogether this means, “a black bird may be black but it’s flesh is white.”  So in other words, a black bird may have black feathers but its flesh may be white underneath its feathers. 

If I were to use an English proverb equivalent to this proverb it would be, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  In order to understand this Korean proverb about black birds, you’ll have to understand some interesting aspects of the Korean culture. 

First of all, a black bird is a type of crow.  According to Korean superstition, it’s considered bad luck to hear a black bird cackling at the crack of dawn.  In some cases a cackling bird can mean that someone close to you is dead or dying.  One other thing to note is that the physical features of someone’s face is considered an accurate judgement of that person’s personality.  When you send in a resume for a job in Korea, you will be required to hand in a picture of yourself.  Employers will often use the physical features of a face to determine whether the person is fit for the job.  I’m not saying that it’s the sole determinant of whether you’ll get the job, but it may be a major factor if you’re a borderline candidate for the job.

If you were to tie the cultural tidbits with the proverb you get the saying: “Just because someone gives off an unpleaseant face (hence the black bird) doesn’t mean the person is a bad person (the white flesh = purity).”  This proverb can extend to other areas of life as well.  For example I would say that you shouldn’t judge a culture just by what you read about it.  There may be some underlining reason for how a society behaves, and before anyone makes a quick judgment, it’s wise to study the culture in depth first. 

Ok, thank for your time today.  Hope this proverb was helpful!

 
Posted under Vocabulary
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Proverb of the Day

Posted by Ginny
Dec
13
2008

This is the second post on Korean proverbs in a recurring series of Korean proverbs.  Hope no one is dying of joy!  In Korean, we have what are four Chinese character based proverbs or words of wisdom called sa-ja-song-oh (사자성어).  These four lettered proverbs can be downright strange when they’re translated literally.  Let me show you what I mean with today’s proverb.

Today’s proverb is dong-ka-hong-sang (同價紅裳).  First let’s examine the characters one by one to decipher their meaning.  Dong (同) is the root word for ’same’ or ’similar’ in Korean.  Ka (價) is the root word in indicate value or price.  Hong (紅) is the root word for red, and sang (裳) is the root word for dress.  Altogether this phrase translates as ’same priced red dress.’

So…what does this phrase really mean?  Well, to understand it we need to know a little of Korean culture and history.  In olden days, only the rich could afford to buy colorful dresses.  Peasants usually wore white garments.  When you connect this to the Korean proverb dong-ka-hong-sang (同價紅裳), it means that when there are two dresses that are priced the same, it’s going to be a given that one will choose the red dress.

In sum, this proverb is noting the human tendency to pick the better of two choices; provided that they are under the same conditions.  The next time someone offers you a choice between two goods of relatively equal quality or price and one of the choices is better than the other, just say dong-ka-hong-sang (同價紅裳).  You might get a confused look, but at least you’ll know what it means!

 
Posted under Vocabulary
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Korean Proverb of the Day

Posted by Ginny
Nov
21
2008

Every month starting from this month I plan on creating a monthly series of Korean proverbs.  This Korean proverbs series will help you understand the Korean culture and language a little better each time you learn a new proverb.  Hopefully you’ll look forward to this series and learn from it as well.

Today’s proverb is “두 손에 떡” (du soneh ddok).  To clarify its meaning let’s break this proverb into digestable parts.  두 = two.  손 = hand.  떡 = rice cake.  Altogether it refers to a person who holds two rice cakes in each hand and is unable to eat the rice cakes properly because both hands are occupied.  In other words, your greed can prevent you from becoming efficient because instead of doing things one at a time or eating the rice cake one at a time, you want to do it all at once or eat both rice cakes at all once with both hands.  

This proverb accurately reflects the value Koreans place on doing things at their suggested time, in order, one after another.  The English phrase “haste makes waste” is very similar in meaning to this Korean proverb, except for the fact that it has more to do with overambicion leading to inefficiency.  In fact, many Korean proverbs have English equivalents, but not all are as clear in meaning as the one we just looked at today. 

Some proverbs have hidden meanings so as not to offend anyone, especially the aristocracy.  The use of Korean proverbs goes way back when criticizing a noble could warrant death or imprisonment.  Therefore, Korean proverbs are used to this day to criticize people indirectly.  However, many educated people know the complex meaning behind some popular proverbs, so your use of a proverb may not be so indirect.  At the very least though, when you use a proverb, you’ll look erudite and fluent in Korean.  I guess you could call it a higher form of trash talking, especially when you want to comment on a situation or a person!

 
Posted under Vocabulary
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