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!