I found this aphorism in my book of Korean aphorisms.
개도 싸다니면 몽둥이에 맞는다 gae.do ssa.da.ni.myeon mong.dung.i.e maj.neun.da dog-TOO wander-COND stick-WITH beat-PRES If a dog wanders, it's beaten with a stick.
I’m not sure this is true as much in US culture as in traditional Korean culture. Dogs are much lower on the social totem pole in Korean culture, traditionally. The lowest dogs are often on the level of the social order where they are ranked equal to “lunch” – that is to say, dogs are food. This is not so true anymore. It’s not illegal to eat dog meat in Korea, so there are traditionalists who do it, but in general dogs are kept as pets no different from the way they are in the US, these days. But that’s not where this aphorism comes from.
Anyway, a wandering dog will be beaten with a stick. That’s clear – what’s it mean? It seems to be associated with the fact that people who bum around and don’t stick to one place and one activity are likely to be treated badly – legitimately so: itinerants deserve their fate.
