Caveat: 십년공부 나무아미타불

I learned this proverb from my book of Korean aphorisms.

십년공부 나무아미타불
sip.nyeon.gong.bu na.mu.a.mi.ta.bul
ten-years-study “namo amitabha buddha”
[After] ten years of study, [one is reduced to saying] “Namo Amitabha Buddha.”

This is an interesting Korean proverb, because although the proverb itself is Korean in origin as far as I can figure out, the phrase “Namo Amitabha Buddha” (rendered as namuamitabul) is Pali (the language of Buddhist scripture), filtered through Chinese.
The phrase “Namo Amitabha Buddha” is an invocation of the Amitabha Buddha, which under the Pure Land tradation (“Amidism”) within Buddhism, frees the invoker of his or her karmic hinderances.
The meaning of the proverb, however, is about the phenomenon of Buddhist monks who become enchanted by secular women, apparently a commonplace in the Korean folk tradition. So the monks would chant “Namo Amitabha Buddha” in an attempt to escape such enchantments, but the point of the proverb is that they are trying to escape the earned consequences of their own behavior. There is a specific story where a monk studied for 10 years and then fell for a dancing girl. So after 10 years of study, all is come to naught. The proverb roughly means “All in vain!
This proverb is exceptionally apropos, as I approach the 10th year anniversary of my sojourn in Korea, and yet, due to my own laziness and poor behavior, I still have failed to really master the Korean language: ¡십년공부 나무아미타불!
[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 구렁이 담 넘어가듯 한다

I learned this aphorism from my book of aphorisms.

구렁이 담 넘어가듯 한다
gu.reong.i dam neom.eo.ga.deut han.da
snake wall go-over-AS-IF do-PRES
[He/she/it] acts like a snake going over a wall.

I think this must be more or less the same as English’s “Like a snake in the grass”: sneaky behavior, creeping up on on a situation unnoticed.
This makes me think of Bob Dylan’s old song, “Man Gave Names To All The Animals,” which is my favorite song from Dylan’s “Christian period.”
I would like to include a youtube embed of Dylan’s song, but Dylan is one of those performing artists who is VERY aggressive in his takedowns of his work online. I personally consider this reprehensible, and combined with his assholery around his recent Nobel prize, that’s why he’s gone down substantially in my estimation as a human being, if remaining high in my estimation of him as an artist.
What I’m listening to right now.

Townes Van Zandt, covering “Man Gave Names To All The Animals,” by Bob Dylan. It’s perhaps a better rendition than the original, anyway. But regardless, Dylan is an amazing lyricist: the ending of the song is poetically brilliant.
Lyrics.

Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.

He saw an animal that liked to growl
Big furry paws and he liked to howl
Great big furry back and furry hair
“Ah, think I’ll call it a bear”.

Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.

He saw an animal up on a hill
Chewing up so much grass until she was filled
He saw milk coming out but he didn’t know how
“Ah, think I’ll call it a cow”.

Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.

He saw an animal that liked to snort
Horns on his head and they weren’t too short
It looked like there wasn’t nothing that he couldn’t pull
“Ah, I’ll think I’ll call it a bull”.

Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.

He saw an animal leaving a muddy trail
Real dirty face and a curly tail
He wasn’t too small and he wasn’t too big
“Ah, think I’ll call it a pig”.

Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.

Next animal that he did meet
Had wool on his back and hooves on his feet
Eating grass on a mountainside so steep
“Ah, think I’ll call it a sheep”.

Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, in the beginning
Man gave names to all the animals
In the beginning, long time ago.

He saw an animal as smooth as glass
Slithering his way through the grass
Saw him disappear by a tree near a lake ….

[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 달팽이 뚜껑 덮었다

I found this aphorism in my aphorism book.

달팽이 뚜껑 덮었다
dal.paeng.i ttu.kkeong deop.eot.da
snail lid cover-PAST
The snail keeps covered.

This means that people who keep to themselves are unknowable. Which seems kind of self-evident, but in a culture like Korea’s where a major portion of socialization among peers is “enforced” (obligatory at some level), keeping to oneself is an outlier personality trait.
[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 靑出於藍

My friend Seungbae taught me this four-character aphorism over the weekend.

靑出於藍
청출어람
cheong.chul.eo.ram
blue-occur-from-indigo
“the blue from the side is bluer”(?)

This seems to be a reference to some dying or pigmenting process involving the color blue, wherein the blue accumulated on the side (of a container?) is a deeper blue than the blue drawn from the main reservoir. The idiomatic meaning, however, refers to the student exceeding the teacher.
“The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now, I am the master.” – Darth Vader, to Obi-Wan Kenobi.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 김정은이 중이 때문에 못 처들어오다

I learned this phrase at work yesterday. I guess it’s kind of an aphorism, but it’s a slang-based, very modern one.

김정은이 중이 때문에 못 처들어오다
kim.jeong.eun.i jung.i ttae.mun.e mot cheo.deul.eo.o.da
Kim Jeong-eun-SUBJ 8th-grade because-of cannot invade-come-INF
Because of 8th graders, Kim Jeong-eun cannot invade.

Basically, the idea is that “kids these days” are so narcissistic, disrespectful, etc., that the dictator to the north doesn’t dare invade the South. It’s just not worth the hassle of dealing with the kids. The Korean expression 중이 (8th grade / 8th grader) is a kind of shorthand for referring to the the typical disaffected, disrespectful and self-centered nature of early teens, including the slang 중이병, meaning “8th grader disease,” as a kind of stand-in term for the characteristic mental health issues of puberty and adolescence.
Thus all the international panic about the North’s belligerence is overblown. It just can’t happen, see? We’ve got the kids to protect us.
[daily log: walking, 5km]

Caveat: 호랑이 보고 창구멍 막기

I found this aphorism in my aphorism book.

호랑이 보고 창구멍 막기
ho.rang.i bo.go chang.gu.meong mak.gi
tiger see-CONJ window-hole block-GER
[Like] blocking the hole in the window after seeing the tiger.

The “hole in the window” refers to the old-style paper windows, which are translucent but not transparent. People would poke holes in them, to be able to look out. So the tiger is right there – you see him through the hole in the window. To be safe, you block the hole. Good plan.
Basically, this might be the same as the American proverb “A day late, a dollar short.” A moment when it’s too late to solve some problem or prepare for some dangerous contingency.
[daily log: walking, 3km]

Caveat: 띵가띵가놀지마

My students taught me this phrase the other day. I always learn the best Korean from my students.
Actually, they taught me the positive version: 띵가띵가놀은다 [tting.ka.tting.ka.nol.eun.da], which seems to mean, roughly, “goof off”, ” “play around”, or, as I pointed out, “dink around” as in to work completely unproductively. I wonder at the sound symbolism, because of that. Anyway, the term joins my long list of phenomimes and psychomimes. The term is not in the standard online Korean dictionaries, but I noticed that the googletranslate gets it right.
The negative phrase, 띵가띵가놀지마 [tting.ka.tting.ka.nol.ji.ma], I managed to use quite successfully, later in the same class. The kids were duly impressed. Lisa had been playing around with my collection of whiteboard markers, and not really paying attention. She gets easily distracted – a bit of a space cadet. So I said that: “띵가띵가놀지마!” She looked up, surprised.
Annie, who keeps trying to be my Korean coach, raised a thumb in broad approval. “Oh, nice, teacher. Good Korean!”
picture[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 非夢似夢

I learned this four-character idiom from a coworker, and recognizing it as such, looked it up later.

非夢似夢
비몽사몽
bi.mong.sa.mong
false-dream-like-dream
"Half asleep half awake."

It's actually much easier and transparent than most of these types of expressions that I've attempted. It's a great phrase to know, too. Especially given the way I sometimes feel like I'm working my way through a dream.

There was a thunderstorm this morning. Nice, the hard rain scrubbing the air.

[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 나무 잘 오르는 놈 떨어지고 헤엄 잘 치는 놈 빠져 죽는다

I learned this aphorism from my book of aphorisms.

나무 잘 오르는 놈 떨어지고 헤엄 잘 치는 놈 빠져 죽는다
na.mu jal o.reu.neun nom tteol.eo.ji.go he.eom jal chi.neun nom ppa.jyeo juk.neun.da
tree well climb-PRESPART guy fall-CONJ swimming well swim-PRESPART guy drown-INF die-PRES
The good tree-climber falls and the good swimmer drowns and dies.

I think actually this has the same meaning as that quote I offered by Randall Munroe a few posts back; essentially, even experts can make mistakes.
Perhaps this offers some solace to those of us who make mistakes – we might nevertheless be experts.
picture[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 청기와 장수

picture
I found this idiom in my book of aphorisms.

청기와 장수
cheong.gi.wa jang.su
blue-tile dealer
“Blue tile merchant”

This is a reference to some old Korean tale, I guess, wherein some guy made excellent blue tiles but refused to share the secret of his technique, so when he died no one knew how to make such great blue tiles. It means someone who keeps a trade secret or has some secret talent. Anyway, blue tile roofs are a very traditional high-quality style in Korea, up to and including the famous blue tile roof on the Presidential Palace, which gives the palace its name, called 청와대 [cheongwadae] – in English “Blue House.” At right is a picture of a temple in Suwon that I took in 2010, showing a blue tile roof.
I think this has more negative connotations than the English phrase, “A person of hidden talent.” In Western culture, I think this phrase is generally meant in a kind of admiration, or anyway saying that the person merits more admiration than we are currently giving. In the Korean, the semantics of the phrase seem to be focused instead on the person’s selfishness in the refusal to share knowledge or ability with the community.
[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 야자타임

A week or two ago, I learned an interesting expression at work: 야자타임 [yajataim]. This is a slang term that means “A time when normal formalities, especially deferential language, can be temporarily suspended.”
I was excited to learn this term, because it could actually be useful with my students, in the event they are being too formal, which is sometimes an issue with certain socially awkward kids. It isn’t normally a problem if they’re speaking English, since Korean students are taught, erroneously, that English utterly lacks levels of formality. Of course English has lots of levels of formality, it’s just that we don’t use verb-endings and noun substitutions to pull it off, generally speaking. There tends to be a lot of just periphrastic substitution, e.g. “Gimme that” vs “Could you hand that to me, please?”
The etymology isn’t very clear to me on the first part of the term, but the second part -타임 [taim] is transparently the fully nativized borrowing from English, “time,” which is used in for a variety of meanings and contexts, some of which are similar to the English semantics, such as this one, and others where it has acquired new, weirdly different semantics – as in e.g. its broad use as one of the “noun counter particles” for listing the numbers of class periods at schools.
Anyway, the first part I can’t quite figure out, but I’d say the 야 [ya] is probably the vocative particle used for addressing inferiors (“Hey, you!”), which makes sense in context. As a guess, the 자 [ja] might be the verb propositive ending, i.e. “Let’s….” It all fits together neatly, in semantic terms: “Let’s [have] ‘hey you’ time,” but the grammar seems like an unholy mess.
[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 성인도 시속을 따른다

I found this aphorism in my book of aphorisms.

성인도 시속을 따른다
seong.in.do si.sok.eul tta.reun.da
saint-TOO local-mores-OBJ follow-PRES
Even a saint follows the local mores.

I think this means “When in Rome, do as the Romans.” But it might also refer to the fact that even the most high-minded person will succumb to a poor ethical environment. Maybe this could explain the more disappointing aspects of the Obama administration.
[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 목수가 많으면 집을 무너뜨린다

I realized recently that I started neglecting my long-standing habit of posting occasional Korean-language aphorisms and proverbs. Part of what happened is that my little “stockpile” became empty, and I got too lazy to replenish it, which led me to a situation where posting an aphorism was always more work than I wanted to deal with, at the last moment when deciding what to put on my blog.
Lately, too, I have been very depressed about my Korean ability. You might observe that I am always depressed about my Korean ability, so what’s really different? Well, obviously, if I’m so depressed about it that I’m actively avoiding my little self-study sessions, such as trying to understand various proverbs, well, then, that’s more depressed than before.
I’ll have to get over that, right? I have about 7 months remaining to become fluent – since I jokingly said, about 9 years ago, that I thought it would take me 10 years to become fluent. At the time, I thought I was giving myself more than enough time. Now, I’ve passed my 9th anniversary in Korea, and frankly, it looks like I’d been overly optimistic.
I may be a linguist, but that doesn’t seem to mean I’m necessarily very good at learning languages.
Here is an aphorism from my Korean book of aphorisms.

목수가 많으면 집을 무너뜨린다
mok.su.ga manh.eu.myeon jib.eul mu.neo.tteu.rin.da
carpenter-SUBJ be-many-IF house-OBJ destroy-PRES
“If there are many carpenters, the house is destroyed.”

This is clearly the same aphorism as the English, “Too many cooks in the kitchen (spoil the broth).” That’s fairly self-explanatory, and therefore a good proverb for me to try to resume my occasional Korean proverbs.
It’s a cloudy Sunday, but the snow turned to rain. I made a broth to gowith my pasta, but it wasn’t spoiled because I was the only cook.
[daily log: walking, 1km]

Caveat: 왜사서 고생이야?

Last Thursday, watching my uncle chipping wood before distributing the wood chips on his surrounding forest floor, Curt seemed puzzled by the purpose of it all. He said there was an expression in Korean that seemed relevant: “왜사서 고생이야?”
Loosely, this translates as, “why do [you] make work for [yourself]?’
More literally, it is something like, “Why buy and then suffer?” One should not suffer as a consequence of one’s purchases, right?
It applies to everyone, at one time or another, though. Nevertheless, it’s a type of activity that may be more relevant to some more than others. I, like my uncle, sometimes seem to make work for myself, unnecessarily.
[daily log: walking, 9km]

Caveat: 雷聲大名

I saw this four-character aphorism in my building’s elevator’s advertising video thingy two different times. It must be important.
雷聲大名
뇌성대명
noe.seong.dae.myeong
thunder-sound-big-name
I guess this is about reputation and fame, though it’s not clear to me if it has negative, neutral or positive valances. The Korean definitions are: “남의 이름을 높여 이르는 말” (a person’s name spoken of far and wide) and “세상에 널리 드러난 이름” (a name revealed widely in the world). And important person? It’s not clear to me how this is actually used.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 溫柔敦厚

I tried to learn this four-character idiom from my building’s elevator the other day.

溫柔敦厚
온유돈후
on.yu.don.hu
gentleness+showing-respect

I guess this just means showing respect. Frankly, I found the definitions I found of this idiom to make the whole thing seem much more complicated, but perhaps I’m over-analyzing. The online hanja dictionary at daum.net gives: “괴이하거나 익살스럽거나 노골적이지 아니하고 독실한 정취가 있는 경향” which I make a rough effort to translate as: “Neither bizarre antics nor clowning around [interfere with?] a tendency toward an unblunt and sincere atmosphere.” I also found: “성격이 온화하고 부드러우며 인정이 두터움” which might be “personality is mild and smooth, acknowledge cordiality.”
I notice in both definitions a more contrastive as opposed complementary relation between the two components of the hanja (first two hanja are one component, second two are second component). I have no idea how that ends up working. But I get the general idea, maybe.
[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 손발이 잘 맞다

I learned this idiom from my boss yesterday.

손발이 잘 맞다
son.bal.i jal mat.da
hand-foot-SUBJ well be-in-balance
“Hands and feet are in harmony.”

This seems like something a sports coach would say, but I could see it being a business buzzwordy type of expression, too, which is clearly how Curt used it. I was trying to think of how best to translate the intended pragmatics. Maybe something like, “the team is a smoothly functioning machine.” He was intending it as a goal, rather than description of the current state. In fact, he was lecturing the staff room bemoaning the lack of teamwork.
I have no idea how many Korean businesses experience this kind of “in sync” teamwork, despite it being the highest ideal of Korean business. I suspect very, very few actually get there.
[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 強固無比

I learned this four character aphorism on my building’s elevator last night.

強固無比
강고무비
gang.go.mu.bi
strong-firm-no-compare
“Incomparable strength and steadiness.”

It can be made into a descriptive verb, too: 강고무비하다. The underlying meaning of this 고사성어 seemed more transparent than most – the dictionary definition given for the aphorism is simply: 비교할 수 없이 굳세고 단단함 (Incomparable firmness and strength).
 
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 목마른 송아지 우물 들여다 보듯

I found this aphorism in my aphorism book.

목마른 송아지 우물 들여다 보듯
mok.ma.reun song.a.ji u.mul deul.yeo.da.bo.deut
thirsty-PPART calf well lookinto-LIKE
[It is] like a calf looking into a well.

The book says this means something like “sour grapes.” I could see that – seeing something that he can’t get, perhaps the calf is annoyed.
[daily log: walking, 7.5km]
 

Caveat: 여유있는 태도를 잃어서는 안 된다

This is a Korean idiom I ran across recently.

여유있는 태도를 잃어서는 안 된다
yeoyuitneun taedoreul ilheoseoneun an doenda
relax-have-PRESENTPARTICIPLE attitude-OBJ lose-MUSTNOTDO
One shouldn’t lose one’s relaxed attitude.

That complicated ending (-서는 안 된다) was hard for me to figure out. It seems to be some kind of fixed idiom that can’t quite be got at by its parts. I was about to give up, but then I got lucky and managed to google a grammatical explanation here.
So the lesson is, don’t lose your relaxed attitude when you can’t figure out some bit of Korean grammar. Google will save you.
[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 눈은 풍년 입은 흉년

Here is a proverb from my book of Korean proverbs.

눈은 풍년 입은 흉년
nun.eun pung.nyeon ib.eun hyung.nyeon
eye-TOPIC abundant-harvest-year mouth-TOPIC famine-year
“Feast for the eyes, famine for the stomach.”

This has a pretty clear meaning, I think, although I can’t think of an exact English equivalent at the moment. Basically, it’s the feeling I have all the time, since my surgery: I see delicious food all around me, and I remember feasting on such deliciousnesses, but the actual experience of eating is at best neutral, and at worst occasionally downright unpleasant. It has become a new normal, and so in my best moments, I can let the nostalgia of eating things I enjoy drive the current experience.
I wasn’t really meaning to complain, here, but running across this proverb seemed to rather match my experience. I saw a chicken sandwich in a cafe last night and was struck by an irrational craving, so I bought it and brought it home. The eating of it was … well… I’m still here, right? Mere sustenance.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 事事件件

I ran across this four-character idiom somewhere – exactly where, I don’t recall but it’s in my notes.

事事件件
사사건건
sa.sa.geon.geon
work-work-thing-thing

This means “each and every,” but with negative valences.
Usage:

사사건건 트집 = finding fault, blemish, crack
사사건건 간섭하다 = meddling, interference

[daily log: walking, 6.5km]
 

Caveat: 空谷足音

I saw this four-character idiom online somewhere – I didn’t record from where.

空谷足音
공곡족음
gong.gok.jok.eum
empty-valley-excessive-sound

This idiom seems to be similar to: Vox clamantis in deserto! “A voice in the wilderness.”

1 Iɴɪᴛɪᴜᴍ Eᴠᴀɴɢᴇʟɪɪ Jᴇsᴜ Cʜʀɪsᴛɪ, Fɪʟɪɪ Dᴇɪ. 2 Sɪᴄᴜᴛ sᴄʀɪᴘᴛᴜᴍ ᴇsᴛ ɪɴ Isᴀɪᴀ ᴘʀᴏᴘʜᴇᴛᴀ: Eᴄᴄᴇ ᴇɢᴏ ᴍɪᴛᴛᴏ ᴀɴɢᴇʟᴜᴍ ᴍᴇᴜᴍ ᴀɴᴛᴇ ғᴀᴄɪᴇᴍ ᴛᴜᴀᴍ, ǫᴜɪ ᴘʀæᴘᴀʀᴀʙɪᴛ ᴠɪᴀᴍ ᴛᴜᴀᴍ ᴀɴᴛᴇ ᴛᴇ. 3 Vᴏx ᴄʟᴀᴍᴀɴᴛɪs ɪɴ ᴅᴇsᴇʀᴛᴏ: Pᴀʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴠɪᴀᴍ Dᴏᴍɪɴɪ, ʀᴇᴄᴛᴀs ғᴀᴄɪᴛᴇ sᴇᴍɪᴛᴀs ᴇᴊᴜs. (Vulgate)

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (KJV)

But the Christian/Western allusion is to prophecy, while the Chinese seems to mean one of two things, neither of which is quite the same. First, it might mean a pointless exercise of proclaiming when no one is paying attention. Alternately, it might mean the way that deserted place becomes more welcoming when a sound is heard. Regardless, I don’t think it’s directly relatable to the notion of prophecy… I guess it comes down to one’s opinion regarding the efficacy of prophecy.
There is also the text by John Gower, a Latin-language poem written in the 14th century, bearing the title “Vox Clamantis.”
[daily log: walking, 1km]
 

Caveat: 文過飾非

I saw this four-character idiom in my building’s elevator the other day. It was really hard to figure out a meaning for it – my online search and linguistic skills are either declining or this was an exceptionally difficult and rare one.

文過飾非
문과식비
mun.gwa.sik.bi

Breaking down the individual hanja:

文 문 = 글월 letter, writing, sentence
過 과 = 지날 fut-part pass, elapse, spend [time]
飾 식 = 꾸밀 fut-part ornament, fabricate, affect, make, embellish
非 비 = 아닐 fut-part not be

Maybe literally, then, something like “[despite time] spent writing, [there is] no embellished effect” (?).
I searched a lot for a translation, and found nothing. I was having too much difficulty translating the one Korean definition I found. I tried a trick that sometimes works for these four-character idioms: you can put the idiom into googletranslate as Chinese instead of Korean. In this case, the meaning seems clear: “to pay lip service to.” I am not certain that the Korean usage of the idiom retains exactly the same meaning, but the Korean meaning given at naver’s dictionary is:

허물도 꾸미고 잘못도 꾸민다는 뜻으로,  잘못이 있음에도 불구(不拘)하고 뉘우침도 없이 숨길 뿐 아니라 도리어 외면하고 도리어 잘난 체함

It was taking me too long to try to figure out an idiomatic translation for this definition, but the gist seems to be in vein of “it is a mistake to try to hide ideas through embellishment, etc.” I’m not really confident, but it seems to semantically connect enough to the direct translation of the Chinese as to make me think that meaning applies to the Korean usage as well.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 雷逢電別

I learned this four-character idiom from my elevator last night.

雷逢電別
뇌봉전별
noe.bong.jeon.byeol
thunder-meet-lightning-split
“Thunder meets, lightening splits”

I found this definition of the verbalized form of the idiom (i.e. 뇌봉전별하다):
(비유적으로) 잠깐 만났다가 곧 헤어지다. 천둥같이 만났다가 번개같이 헤어진다는 뜻에서 나온 말이다.
I tried to makes sense of this definition, but I’m not very happy with my effort.:
“(Figuratively) Although a moment is met, it soon divides. The saying comes out meaning that although thunder meets, lightning divides up.”
I guess this would refer to the philosophical conundrum of the ephemerality of the “present.”
“Time is not composed of indivisible nows any more than any other magnitude is composed of indivisibles.” – Aristotle. Physics VI
[daily log: walking, 6km]

Caveat: 산토끼를 잡으려다가 집토끼를 놓친다

I learned this aphorism from my friend’s blog.

산토끼를 잡으려다가 집토끼를 놓친다
san.to.kki.reul jap.eu.ryeo.da.ga jip.to.kki.reul noh.chin.da
wild-hare-OBJ catch-PURPOSIVE/TRANSFERATIVE tame-rabbit-OBJ miss-PRES

This means, “Losing rabbits at home while running after hares in the mountains.” My friend Peter points to Korea Times senior editorialist Choi Sung-jin having used the expression in translation, commenting on the opposition party’s strategy – prior to the election. Thus the translation is due to that editorialist. The phrase could also apply to other misguided business strategies, I think. I need to remember it for the next time I feel annoyed in a work-meeting.
In retrospect, I think this was not the right sort of aphorism to quote, given the opposition’s surprising electoral upset. It turned out the wild hare made a better meal.
[daily log: walking, 6km]

Caveat: 閑雲野鶴

This is a four-character idiom I learned from my building’s elevator the other day.

閑雲野鶴
한운야학
han.un.ya.hak
leisure-cloud-field-crane

The meaning in the Korean-English dictionary is given as only, “wandering clouds and wild cranes,” but the example use of the expression gives a clue: 한운 야학 야학을 벗삼다 lead a leisurely life/lead a life free from worldly care in the bosom of nature. I found the following definition in Korean, online, which I laboriously translated.

한가로운 구름 아래 노니는 들의 학. 벼슬과 어지러운 세상을 버리고 강호에 묻혀 사는 사람.
Cranes wandering fields under peaceful skies. People who abandon official posts and chaotic society to take refuge in nature.

So I guess it means people who “escape” society in some way, but it is not clear to me if this viewed positively or negatively by the expression. Sometimes it seems I might do that. Or it seems I might already have tried that – but unsuccessfully.


What I’m listening to right now.

The Cure, “Splintered In Her Head.” I’m not sure this is related to the idiom.
[daily log: walking, 1km]
 

Caveat: 太古順民

I learned this four-character idiom from my elevator.

太古順民
태고순민
tae.go.sun.min
ancient-times-gentle-people
“In the old days people [were] gentle.”

I’m not sure the expression is that useful, at least for me – unless there’s an element of irony or some historical reference that makes it more complex than it seems.
It seems to encapsulate the extremely common misconception people tend to have, that times are always getting worse, and that civilization is in a state of decline. Why people believe this seems to be a fundamental quirk of human psychology, which perceives current problems as being more severe than past problems, and which then extends this misperception to the scope of human history. It doesn’t even matter how old you are. I have heard 3rd grade elementary kids heave heavy sighs and say things to the effect of, “it was so much better in the old times [meaning 2nd grade].”
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 십일번 타고가다

I learned this idiom from a coworker.

십일번 타고가다
sip.il.beon ta.go.ga.da
eleven-number ride-and-go
…take the number eleven [bus route].

Literally, it means “take the number 11 bus route.” But the number 11 bus route is a metaphor for walking. Why? The digits “11” resemble two legs, I guess. I think this an idiom I can find much use for, given how much I walk as opposed to other forms of transportation. I like when I learn such useful things to say. Although who knows when I might actually find myself saying it – the next time someone offers me a ride that I turn down, I suppose.
[daily log: riding the number 11, 6.5km]

Caveat: 求之不得

I learned this four-character idiom from my building’s elevator last night. I might learn more idioms if I took the elevator more often. But I would get less exercise. And there are other places to find four-character idioms.

求之不得
구지부득
gu.ji.bu.deuk
seek-go-not-get

This was hard to figure out the meaning. I’m not totally confident. There is no entry for the idiom in the Korean-English online dictionary, but the Korean-only dictionary gives (for the verbalized form, 구지부득하다): “구하려고 해도 얻지 못 하다,” which the googletranslate renders “Even trying to save is not obtained.” That’s not that helpful on seeing the meaning. I had better luck googling it as if it were Chinese. In an online Chinese-English dictionary, I found it is an idiom meaning “to be exactly what one has been looking for.” I could kind of see that, but it’s not clear to me that the Korean usage has the same meaning, or if the Korean usage is more negative, which would be more simply, to try to find but fail to find something.
In which case, I tried to find the exact meaning of this idiom, but failed.
[daily log: walking, 6km]

Caveat: 桑田碧海

I learned this four-character aphorism from my friend Seungbae on Saturday.

桑田碧海
상전벽해
sang.jeon.byeok.hae
silkworm-orchard-blue-sea
“[Like a] silkworm orchard [becoming] blue sea”

This indicates a situation of intense, complete change – as if a silkworm orchard is tranformed into blue sea. It came up in the context of discussing the fact that, because I was stationed near to my current home when I was in the US Army in 1991, I had seen Ilsan back when it was a small village amid rice fields, and now it has become a high-density connurbation of half a million. Seungbae used this phrase to describe that kind of transformation.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 머리를 깎다

This is an idiom from my book of idioms.

머리를 깎다
meo.ri.reul kkakk.da
head-OBJ shave
“to shave one’s head.”

It means to join the Buddhist priesthood – since priests shave their heads. It is used as a kind of “when all else fails…” option, to express despair, maybe: e.g. “Well, when all else fails, I can always go join a monastery.”
This thought has a more than passing appeal for me – I have harbored it many times, long before learning the idiom.
[daily log: walking, 6km]

Caveat: 能小能大

I learned this four-character idiom from my elevator last night.

能小能大
능소능대
neung.so.neung.dae
skill-small-skill-big

This apparently means something like “versitile” or “skillful” or even “tactful and socially competent.” At first I was thinking it was something like “Jack of all trades” but I don’t think that’s quite right – it seems to be used mostly adjectivally, and the meaning seems more connected to the idea of someone who has competence in “big things” but also pays attention to detail. Maybe it’s more like “well-rounded” (as applied to a personality).
I felt pleased with my decipherment of this idiom, for two reasons. First, like many of these “either/or” idioms (where one of the elements is repeated with two different modifiers), the first and second terms seem interchangeable. Thus, the version I actually saw in my elevator last night was “능대능소” yet the one in the online dictionary was the one I cite above. So I figured it out. Further, this is the first case where I already had some clue as to the meaning just because I am familiar with all the individual components from other vocabulary. So it felt like a step forward in that respect.
Notes for Korean (finding meaning)

  • 방사선 괴사 = radiation necrosis
  • 시궁쥐 = rat, literally “sewer mouse”
  • 능하다 = to be proficient, to be skillful, to be expert (at something)

picture[daily log: walking, 6km]

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