“Without proverbs, the language would be but skeleton without a flesh, a body without soul.”
It has been said that to understand a people, you must know their proverbs. There’s a lot of merit to this argument, especially since proverbs tend represent a common set of values, beliefs and ideals for a culture.
Each week, UnitedKpop brings you three Korean proverbs that you can use in everyday life (and sound like a complete boss). This is for all you wanting to know more about the language than the “Annyeong” and “Saranghae”, wanting to get deeper into the psyche of the typical Korean. And in honour of the medieval Sungkyunkwan educational institute (of Sungkyunkwan Scandal international fame), we call this column “Taehak Proverbs“.
팔이 안으로 굽지 밖으로 굽나
Phonetic: “Pari aneu-ro gubji bakkeu-ro gubna”
Literal: “An arm bends inwards, not outwards.”
Meaning: “No matter who the person is, they will always favour the people closest to them.”
This proverb teaches us that humans are only human; there is no impartiality, no matter how hard we try to be fair and unbiased. The elbow joint means that our arms bend inward towards ourselves, not outwards (unless someone has snapped your elbow). It’s physically impossible to do such a movement, so the proverb says about someone trying to be unbiased.
Actually the proverb is applicable to anyone, even people not trying to be unbiased.
It’s simply reminding us that it is human nature to take care of those who we are closest to.
Many people use it as a not-so-subtle jab at the nepotism of people and families in powerful positions.
호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다
Phonetic: “Horangido jae mal hamyeon onda.”
Literal: “Even the tiger will come if you talk about him.”
Meaning: “If you talk behind someone’s back, they will hear about it.”
This proverb tries to teach us restrain. Don’t gossip about someone, or speak badly about them, otherwise they will find out eventually and trouble will come looking for you.
Tigers were living monsters in Korea. They lived in the mountains and while attacks were rare, the animals were common enough to be part of Korean folklore and be feared by even the most well-armed militia. Understanding their rarity and lethality to people puts this proverb into some context: even a rare beast will make an appearance if you talk badly about them, and then you will have to deal with the consequences.
This proverb doesn’t just command people to think or behave in a certain way; it gives a consequence, telling us that bad things may happen to us if we behave badly.
This proverb doesn’t tell you to be passive, or to treat others like you treat yourself.
This proverb tells us that we should not gossip about people, if only to keep ourselves safe.
참새가 방앗간을 그대로 지나랴?
Phonetic: “Chamsaega bangatganeul geudaero jinarya?”
Literal: “Would a sparrow simply fly past a barn?”
Meaning: “It’s difficult to ignore something that you like.”
I guess the K-Pop equivalent of this one would be “One does not simply see one’s bias on the street without spazzing.”
Sparrows are perhaps one of the most common birds in Korea. Even in the cities, they used to outnumber the pigeons.
This proverb tries to tell us something about human nature in two ways.
Firstly, despite all of our attempts at self-control, it is difficult not to notice something that we like or enjoy doing. That constant battle with self-control is a life-long challenge for all of us, and we should be aware of our own behaviour.
Secondly, that people are predictable. If there is something that someone likes to do, then they’re probably doing it. People don’t miss out on an easy opportunity to do things that they enjoy. Sometimes, that predictability can make them vulnerable to being scammed or conned out of their belongings. We should always be careful in this regard.
To answer the question, would a sparrow simply fly past a barn?
No, it would flit inside for a quick peek and hopefully a few loose grains to peck at.
Thoughts on this weeks proverbs?
Any topics you want covered in the next edition?
Leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below!
