There are some useful Korean proverbs that you can use in everyday life. These proverbs are high frequency proverbs, so you\u2019ll probably hear them a lot if you haven\u2019t heard them already.<\/p>\n
Korean proverbs often use very vivid and extreme situations to prove a point. This proverb below is one fine example:<\/p>\n
\ud558\ub298\uc758<\/strong> <\/strong>\ubcc4<\/strong> <\/strong>\ub530\uae30<\/strong>(Haneulwi byeol ddagi)<\/p>\n (\ud558\ub298<\/strong> = sky. \uc758<\/strong> = possessive particle. \ubcc4<\/strong> = star. \ub530\uae30<\/strong> = to pluck)<\/p>\n This proverb means, \u201cTo pluck a star in the sky.\u201d It\u2019s used to describe an impossible situation or obstacle. The sky is a metaphor for something that is hard to obtain. Since it\u2019s not possible to pluck a star from the sky, it is also used to describe that something is not plausible or realistic.<\/p>\n Korea used to be primarily an agricultural society. As a result, there are a lot of proverbs using food as a means to make a point.<\/p>\n \ucf69<\/strong> <\/strong>\uc2ec\uc740\ub370<\/strong> <\/strong>\ucf69\ub098\uace0<\/strong>, <\/strong>\ud325<\/strong> <\/strong>\uc2ec\uc740\ub370<\/strong> <\/strong>\ud325\ub09c\ub2e4<\/strong> (Kong simeundae kongnago, pat simeundae pat nanda)<\/p>\n (\ucf69<\/strong> = soybean. \uc2ec\ub2e4<\/strong> = to plant. <\/strong>\ud325<\/strong> = red bean. \ub098\ub2e4<\/strong> = to become\/to grow)<\/p>\n This proverb literally means \u201csoybeans grow from where soybeans are planted; red beans grow from where red beans are planted.\u201d This proverb is used in situations where someone is surprised that something happened when it\u2019s obvious as to why it happened. For example, if you paid for something for little cost, it unreasonable to expect that this item is of better quality or that it will last longer than a more expensive item.<\/p>\n Before Korea became a modernized country, much of the land that was not arable was uncultivated and often the habitat of wild animals. As a result, certain animals like wolves, tigers and even bears lived in close contact with the people of the village. Lots of Korean proverbs feature animals as a metaphor for making a point about something important.<\/p>\n \u00a0This is a proverb that talks about monkeys. In Korean folklore monkeys are clever creatures that get into trouble for their cunning ways. The monkey is often portrayed as being overconfident and pays for this overconfidence by falling into a trap.<\/p>\n \uc6d0\uc22d\uc774\ub3c4<\/strong> <\/strong>\ub098\ubb34\uc5d0\uc11c<\/strong> <\/strong>\ub5a8\uc5b4\uc9c4\ub2e4<\/strong> (Weonsungido namueseo ddeoleojinda)<\/p>\n (\uc6d0\uc22d\uc774<\/strong> = monkey. \ub3c4<\/strong> = even\/and. \ub098\ubb34<\/strong> = tree. \uc5d0\uc11c<\/strong> = from. \ub5a8\uc5b4\uc9c0\ub2e4<\/strong> = to fall)<\/p>\n This proverb literally means \u201cEven monkeys fall from trees.\u201d Since monkeys are considered very adept at climbing and swinging from tree to tree, it\u2019s not very often that monkeys fall from a tree. Therefore this proverb is saying that even experts (monkeys) can make mistakes (fall from a tree). This proverb is used when someone acts arrogant or overconfident. In a way, this proverb is used to tell someone \u201ceven you\u2019re not immune to mistakes,\u201d or \u201cyou\u2019re not always going to be perfect.\u201d It\u2019s not really a nice thing to say about someone, but if someone told me this proverb I would consider it a complement, because that would mean that I was viewed as some kind of an expert!<\/p>\n As you can see, proverbs are a good way of learning about Korean culture. Moreover, Korea is not as agricultural or rural as it used to be, but these proverbs are still widely used in daily situations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are some useful Korean proverbs that you can use in everyday life. These proverbs are high frequency proverbs, so you\u2019ll probably hear them a lot if you haven\u2019t heard them already. Korean proverbs often use very vivid and extreme situations to prove a point. This proverb below is one fine example: \ud558\ub298\uc758 \ubcc4 \ub530\uae30(Haneulwi…<\/p>\n