Caveat: 지리산 포수

Here is an aphorism from my book of Korean aphorisms.

지리산 포수
ji.ri.san po.su
Jiri-Mountain hunter
[That’s like] a hunter at Jiri Mountain.

Jiri Mountain, in the south center of the peninsula, long ago was famous for being inhabited by fierce tigers. So a hunter at Jiri Mountain probably never returns, but is killed and eaten by tigers. This is said of someone who is lost forever, perhaps due to his own foolishness.
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Caveat: 벌인 춤이다

Here is an aphorism from my book of Korean aphorisms.

벌인 춤이다
beol.in chum.i.da
begin-PPART dance-COPULA
[It] is a dance begun.

The dance has already started, therefore it must be completed. Something started with anticipation or hope or pleasure must be carried through even if the initial enthusiasm is lost. Perhaps this is analogous to the fallacy of sunk costs, when “cutting one’s losses” is unthinkable.
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Caveat: 음삭은 갈수록 줄고 말은 갈수록 는다

Here is an aphorism from my book of Korean aphorisms.

음삭은 갈수록 줄고 말은 갈수록 는다
eum.sik.eun gal.su.rok jul.go mal.eun gal.su.rok neun.da
food-TOPIC over-time decrease-CONJ word-TOPIC over-time increase-PRESENT
Food decreases over time and words increase over time.

This is a reference to the way that rumors are augmented as they are passed along person-to-person – unlike food, that is consumed as it is passed person-to-person. “Rumor grows as it goes.”
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Caveat: 마른 나무 좀먹듯

Here is an aphorism from my book of Korean aphorisms.

마른 나무 좀먹듯
ma.reun na.mu jom.meok.deut
be-dry-GER tree moth eat-AS-IF
[…] like a moth eating a dry tree.

Apparently this means to be consumed either by a physical ailment or by stress and anxiety. I’m not sure off the top of my head what an equivalent English language saying might be.
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Caveat: 누은나무에 열매 안연다

I have been neglecting my Korean aphorisms, for this past year. That should change – just because I’ve left Korea doesn’t mean I intended to abandon the Korean language.
I’ll try to return to a once-a-week habit. Saturday seems like a good day to make “aphorism day.” Here, then, is a Korean aphorism from my book of aphorisms, and relevant to my new lifestyle.

누은나무에 열매 안연다
nu.eun.na.mu.e yeol.mae an.yeon.da
lying-tree-FROM fruit NOT-open
A fallen tree does not yield fruit.

I am of some doubt about what verb it is at the end. The best guess is 열다, “open,” conjugated in the plain present indicative. The dictionary doesn’t suggest that “yield” (as in yield/give fruit or profits) as a possible meaning. But I could see it as an extended meaning, metaphorically, in the sense that a tree “opens up” and gives its fruit.
The aphorism book suggests the pragmatic meaning is parallel to “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” I’m not sure I quite see that, but I guess so. I would rather imagine the point being that you have to think about the future – if you cut the tree now, you’ll not get any fruit in the future. That’s not exactly the same as “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” But it’s related.
Regardless, I think the aphorism-creator wasn’t thinking of all the firewood you can get. I speak from experience.

Caveat: 잘될거야! 걱정마~

Curt and I were discussing my situation and imminent departure, and all the accompanying uncertainties.
He used the phrase, 잘될거야! 걱정마~ which he helpfully wrote down for me because he knows I learn best visually.
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I more or less understood it but had never tried to parse it grammatically.

잘될거야! 걱정마
jal.doel.geo.ya geok.jeong.ma
well-become-FUT-BE-FAM(?)! worry-DON’T
It’ll turn out alright. Don’t worry.

The “-야” verbal ending (not to be confused with vocative -야, which attaches to nouns) is one that I see and hear all the time, but I’ve never seen it explained in any of my grammar books.  I’ve labeled it “BE-FAM” above, for “BE, familiar” – meaning it seems to be a kind of slangy version of the copula that does’t get explained in grammar books. Or maybe I’m wrong and it’s something else, but anyway, I get the meaning of it.
Later I accused him of “irrational optimism,” which he took badly, but in fact I see that as a positive trait: irrational optimism is stronger than rational optimism, because the latter is subject to sudden dissolution in the face of facts.
[daily log: walking, 7.5km; carrying heavy box to post office, 0.5km]

Caveat: 새도 가지를 가려 앉는다

I found this aphorism in my book of aphorisms.

새도 가지를 가려 앉는다
sae.do ga.ji.reul ga.ryeo anj.neun.da
bird-EVEN branch-OBJ be-picky-FIN sit-PRES
Even a bird is picky [when choosing] a branch to sit on.

This advocates for the thoughtful, intentional life, I think. One should choose one’s place, setting, friends, career with care.
I’m not sure what an equivalent English aphorism might be.
[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 자는 범 코침 주기

I ran across this aphorism in my book of aphorisms.

자는 범 코침 주기
ja.neun beom ko.chim ju.gi
sleep-PRESPART tiger nose-needle give-GER
[It’s like] giving a poke at the nose of a sleeping tiger.

My book says this is similar to “Let sleeping dogs lie.” One shouldn’t provoke those more powerful. I’m not sure these are exactly the same, but good enough.
[daily log: walking, 1km]

Caveat: 도둑 맞고 사립문 고친다

I found this aphorism in my aphorism book.

도둑 맞고 사립문 고친다
do.duk mat.go sa.rip.mun go.chin.da
thief visit-CONJ hedge-gate repair-PRES
The thief visits and [then you] repair the hedge gate.

Clearly, this is the same as “Closing the barn door after the horse has already left the barn.”
I’d say more, but that horse has bolted.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 게으른 선비 책장 넘기기

I saw this aphorism in my book of aphorisms.

게으른 선비 책장 넘기기
ge.eu.reun seon.bi chaek.jang neom.gi.gi
be-lazy-PPART scholar book-page turn-over-GER
[Like] a lazy scholar turning a book’s pages [to the end].

This means a student or worker who is just “going through the motions” or “watching the clock,” only interested in doing the minimum necessary to get by.
I have been like that, in some stages of my life.
[daily log: walking, 1.5km]

Caveat: 누워서 침 뱉기

I learned this aphorism from my book of aphorisms.

누워서 침 뱉기
nu.weo.seo chim baet.gi
lie-on-one’s-back-SO spit spit-PRES
“[One] spits while lying on one’s back.”

This is glossed as “to cut one’s nose to spite one’s face,” but I think a closer parallel is “pissing in the wind.”
Sometimes this happens.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 시어미에게 역정나서 개 옆구리 찬다

I learned this aphorism from my book of aphorisms.

시어미에게 역정나서 개 옆구리 찬다
si.eo.mi.e.ge yeok.jeong.na.seo gae yeop.gu.ri chan.da
mother-in-law-DATIVE anger-happen-SO dog flank kick-PRES
[She’s] mad at the mother-in-law, so [she] kicks the dog.

This means the same as “shit rolls downhill,” I reckon. It’s the idea of the pecking order, or the food chain, or whatever you want to call it. The traditional Korean household is hierarchical, and the mother-in-law outranks her daughter-in-law. So the daugher-in-law has to maintain the utmost respect and deference toward the former, and when she’s mad, she has to vent her anger elsewhere. Poor dog.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 주린 고양이가 쥐를 만났다

I learned this aphorism from my book of aphorisms.

주린 고양이가 쥐를 만났다
ju.rin go.yang.i.ga jwi.reul man.nat.da
starving-PRPART cat-SUBJ mouse-OBJ meet-PAST-FIN
“The starving cat met the mouse.”

This is where the poor man finds an unexpected boon. A stroke of luck.
I’m not quite sure of the exact context of this. Does it just apply to financial or material luck? Or could it mean other types of luck, too? Did the cat meet a mouse when I won my unexpected victory against cancer?
[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 시루에 물길어 붓기

I learned this aphorism from my book of aphorisms.

시루에 물길어 붓기
si.ru.e mul.gil.eo but.gi
rice-cake-steamer-INTO water-fill-INF pour-GER
[Like] pouring water trying to fill a rice cake steamer.

A rice cake steamer (“shiru”) is a perforated ceramic pot. So you can’t fill it – it has holes. So this aphorism means any fruitless task.
That’s somewhat like teaching my HS1-T cohort.
[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 담벽하고 말하는 셈이다


I saw this aphorism in my book of aphorisms.

담벽하고 말하는 셈이다
dam.byeok.ha.go mal.ha.neun sem.i.da
brick-wall-WITH talk-PPART guess-BE
[One could] guess it’s [like] talking to a brick wall.

This is exactly the same as the English expression, “like talking to a brick wall.” It’s not so often I find exactly matching aphorisms. Perhaps dealing with dense individuals is a human universal.
[daily log: walking, 1km]

Caveat: 거북이 잔등에 털을 긁는다

I learned this aphorism from my book of aphorisms.

거북이 잔등에 털을 긁는다
geo.buk.i jan.deung.e teol.eul geulk.neun.da
turtle back-LOC fur-OBJ scratch-PRES
[One] scratches the fur on a turtles back.

This means trying to do the impossible. “Trying to shave an egg”? “When pigs fly”?
Something like that.
Don’t try to do impossible things, right?
[daily log: walking, 1km]

Caveat: 총명은 둔필만 못하다

I tried to learn this aphorism from my book of aphorisms.

총명은 둔필만 못하다
chong.myeong.eun dun.pil.man mot.ha.da
intelligence-TOPIC poor-handwriting-ONLY unable-do
“Intelligence can’t even do as well as poor handwriting.”

Even if you’re smart, if you don’t take notes or document things well, you won’t get far. This comes down to “diligence is worth more than smarts,” and is thus somewhat similar to those sayings in the vein of “Success is 99% perspiration, 1% inspiration.” I suppose I myself suffer from this shortcoming. I’m bad at taking notes. I am often trying to teach my students to take notes, and realizing how inadequate I am to the task, myself.
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 냉수 먹고 잣죽 트림한다

I learned this aphorism from my aphorism book.

냉수 먹고 잣죽 트림한다
naeng.su meok.go jat.juk teu.rim.han.da
cold-water drink-CONJ pine-nut-porridge belch-up-PRES
“Gulp down cold water and belch up pine nut porridge.”

This is a little bit hard to understand, without some cultural reference. Apparently in old Korea, belching was a way to indicate satisfaction with a meal. It’s not that that’s not true in the West, but it didn’t have the patina of vulgarity that it has in the West – indeed it was specific to even high society.
Pine nut porridge was considered a delicacy. So a young nobleman, too poor to eat well, might gulp down some cold water before entering into company with his peers, thus causing himself to belch in their company. He could then boast of the fine pine nut porridge he’d eaten.
This means to “put on airs” or “make a fine appearance but without any substance.”
[daily log: walking, 6.5km]

Caveat: 和氣自生君子宅

I learned this aphorism from the Shamanism Museum.

和氣自生君子宅
화기자생군자택
hwa.gi.ja.saeng.gun.ja.taek

I have no idea how to even translate the individual hanja – I think this is pure Chinese (as opposed to Koreanized Chinese). But the translation given is “온화한 기운이 군자의 집에서 우러나오는 구나,” which means “A warm aura (feeling?) comes from your home.” I guess this means a welcoming home.
I had some problem with the picture I took of the panel showing this saying – the detail picture I took of the label allowed me to write down the aphorism, but the panel itself is blurry. So there’s no nice picture.
[daily log: walking, 1km]
 

Caveat: 家和萬事成

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I learned this aphorism from the Shamanism Museum on Friday.

가화만사성 (家和萬事成)
ga.hwa.man.sa.seong
home-harmonious-everything-achieve
A happy home can achieve anything.

It was on a sign board on an outside wall (picture at right).
The most notable thing at the museum, to me, was the extreme similarity and parallelism between these shamanistic accouterments and images and those I normally associate with Korean Buddhism. I suppose 1500 years of coexistence has led to extensive syncretism on both sides.
So I took some other pictures at the Shamanism museum.
There were some exhibits.
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There were various rooms.
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There were token examples of Nepalese and Tibeten shaman costumes, perhaps to justify the name “Museum of Shamanism” as opposed to “Museum of Korean Shamanism.”
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There were stylistic pseudo-Chinese decorative objects.
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There was a tranquil-looking back room.
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The museum’s location is in a newly developed neighborhood of typical Korean highrises, but the building itself is a historical site of some deified ancestor.
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[daily log: walking… uh, nope.]

Caveat: 나를 칭찬하는 자는 나의 원수

I learned this aphorism from my book of aphorisms.

나를 칭찬하는 자는 나의 원수
na.reul ching.chan.ha.neun ja.neun na.ui won.su
I-OBJ praise-PRESPART person-TOPIC I-GEN enemy
A person who praises me [is] my enemy.

Beware of those who offer praise. This is a fairly universal sentiment for aphorisms. I had some difficulty with the word 자(者) because several dictionaries I checked didn’t make clear the meaning “person.” This single polysemous syllable has half a dozen unrelated meanings (derived from different Chinese borrowings). Once I found a dictionary that included this meaning, I remembered running across it before – I guess it’s kind of an archaic term, but pops up in aphorisms and fossilized phrases a lot.
“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” – Luke 6:26
[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 발이 넓다

I learned this idiom from my coworker yesterday.

발이 넓다
bal.i neolp.da
foot-SUBJ wide
[Someone/he/she/you] has a wide foot.

The online daum dictionary pointed me to this page which said the meaning was “아는 사람이 많다” – “knows a lot of people.” In my conversation with my coworker, the meaning was tied in with the idea of a broad social network. She was trying to explain that another coworker was good at networking – not in any modern high-tech sense but just that she had a really wide field of acquaintances.

I guess in many ways I’m the opposite. I’m really bad at maintaining my social network. The field ends up pretty narrow.

[daily log: walking, 7km]

Caveat: 계집의 올굴은 눈의 안경

I learned this aphorism from my aphorism book.

계집의 올굴은 눈의 안경
gye.jip.ui ol.gul.eun nun.ui an.gyeong
woman-GEN face-OBJ eye-GEN glasses
[Like] a woman’s face [through] eyeglasses.

This means “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” The word 계집 [gyejip] was unfamiliar to me – it apparently means woman but specifically “woman” as an object of desire. Perhaps it could better be translated by a more slang-like term like “chick” or “babe.” My dictionary had “the fair sex” which actually seems about right, though of course it seems a bit archaic – but then again, I suspect the Korean is a bit archaic, too, given it appears in an aphorism. The phrase has no verb, but it has the clitic topic marker, which rather implies a verb.
[daily log: walking, 7km]

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