Caveat: 하나를 보면 열을 안다

I found this aphorism in my book of Korean aphorisms.

하나를       보면      열을      안다
ha.na.reul bo.myeon yeol.eul an.da
one-OBJ    see-IF   ten-OBJ  know-PRES
If [you] see one, you know ten.

This means that if you see one of a person’s actions, you can know the next ten, too. A person’s inclinations are shown in a single deed. This is correlated with English’s “A leopard cannot change its spots.”

picture

Back to Top