Korean sayings in Korean. The most interesting Korean proverbs and sayings

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Kuznetsova O. V. Reflection of the Korean system of values in proverbs and sayings with the component "food" // Scientific and methodological electronic journal "Concept". – 2016. – T. 15. – S. 2006–2010..htm.

Annotation. The article examines Korean proverbs and sayings containing the component “food”, proposes their thematic classification, draws conclusions about the role of food in the Korean value system and reflects the importance of food in the language.

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Kuznetsova Olga Vladimirovna, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Foreign Regional Studies of the Eurasian Linguistic Institute, a branch of the Moscow State Linguistic University in Irkutsk [email protected]

Reflection of the Korean value system

in proverbs and sayings with the component "food"

Annotation. The article deals with Korean proverbs and sayings containing the “food” component, proposes their thematic classification, draws conclusions about the role of food in the Korean value system and reflects the importance of food in the language. Key words: proverbs, value system, lexical units, culture, tradition .

Korea is a country with ancient culinary traditions that have largely survived to this day. In Korea, food has never been perceived only as a source of energy to support the vital processes of the body. Food was treated as the greatest gift that helps to gain health, calm the soul, harmonize the life of a person and the space around him. As T.M. Simbirtseva, “Food not only decorates holidays and ceremonies, it accompanies in grief and joy. It is a measure of virtue and well-being, an indicator of patriotism, a joy to the soul and body, an object of thought, as well as pride or envy, an indicator of the passage of time (seasonal food speaks of it), a guarantee of health and medicine, an object of study in universities, a means to earn money and lose it. , the engine of technological progress. We can say that all this is true for any nation. And all the same, for the Koreans, this is triple true.

One of the proofs of the importance of food for the people of Korea is the large number of proverbs and sayings devoted to this topic. As is known, the vidiomatics of the language displays the system of values, public morality, attitude towards the world, towards people, towards other peoples. Proverbs and sayings play a special role within the framework of folk art, since, passing from generation to generation, they supported the way of life of the people, strengthened the spiritual and moral image of the people. They can be called the commandments of the people, reflecting the life of every ordinary person. This is an expression of thoughts that people have come to through centuries of experience. In any case, they generalize the experience of the people, derived from its social practice, in the center of which is a person. The basis of a proverb or saying is an example of a life situation and sometimes a hint, sometimes a direct indication of the correct decision. Within the framework of this work, we are interested in proverbs and sayings united by the theme of “food” and allowing us to obtain information that directly follows from the traditionally established cultural attitudes, from what is accepted in a given cultural and linguistic society, what is “good” and what is “bad”. The paper presents proverbs and sayings taken from Lim Su's book "The Golden Words of the Korean People", which is currently considered the most complete structured collection of Korean sayings of various types. When compiling the thematic classification of the studied proverbs and sayings, which undoubtedly determine the spiritual and ideological values of the Korean society and personality, the following groups were distinguished: Proverbs and sayings used for 1. Characteristics of food as the main value, wealth, qualities of food, 3. Descriptions of satiety, hunger, 4. Approval of industriousness, zeal 5. Condemnation of greed, gluttony, 6. Condemnation of laziness, idleness, 7. Characteristics of etiquette norms and rules of behavior, 8. Characteristics of a person, his appearance and character Consider examples of proverbs and sayings from each thematic group.

1. Characterization of food as the main value, wealth The allocation of this fairly large group of proverbs and sayings is explained by the perception of food as an urgent need in Korea. In addition, food is part of the sacrifices; life itself is unthinkable without it. As already mentioned, a real cult of food flourishes in Korea. A special, reverent attitude to food and the process of its absorption is an integral part of the local culture, which is reflected in proverbs and sayings: 먹는것보다더큰것은없다–there is no greater business than food.먹는것이가장소중하다–food is the most important thing. 사람 에게 입시제일 이라 이라 이라 이라 이라 이라 이라 사람 은 먹는 것 이 가장귀 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 하다 먹어야체면지킨다 먹어야체면지킨다 먹어야체면지킨다 —tolely eating. 금강산 도식 후경 후경 후경 후경 후경 후경 후경 후경 후경 후경 후경 후경 금강산 이경 이경 이경 이경 이경 이경 이경 이경 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 금강산 이라도식후에경이라–Even the beautiful scenery of the Diamond Mountains pleases the eye only after eating. eat. Koreans equate food with the most significant values of their picture of the world: 입시서울이다 - food, which is the capital (i.e., the most important thing). 먹는것이하늘이다 - food - that is Heaven. nutrition: 소금양념중에서으뜸이다–salt is the lord among spices.감자는밭곡식의왕이다–potatoes are the king of garden vegetables. Naturally, most of these proverbs sing of rice as an integral part of the table. Rice is more than just a product, it is part of the culture and civilization of Korean civilization, symbolizing immortality, spiritual food, primordial purity, glory, solar energy, knowledge, abundance, happiness and fertility: 벼는백국중에서왕이다 - rice is the king among a hundred cereals. 벼는오국의왕이다–rice is the king of five grains.쌀이지팡이다–rice is a staff (i.e. food gives strength to an old man).굶주린을고치는것은밥이다–that which cures hunger is rice.

2. Description of the taste, medicinal, aesthetic qualities of food According to Chinese culinary tradition, each dish must have three important characteristics: color or appearance, aroma and taste. This statement is also true in Korea, which is confirmed by proverbs and sayings. Taste is one of the fundamental components of Korean gastronomy. Sweet food, as in Russia, is often compared to honey: 꿀같이달다 – sweet like honey. 꿀맛이다 – like the taste of honey. 보기만해도배부르다 - just look - already full. 보기좋은떡이먹기좋다 - a beautiful-looking flatbread is pleasant to eat. Koreans are sure that their cuisine is the healthiest. Indeed, nutritionists argue that despite the high calorie content of Korean cuisine, it does not contribute to fullness, and this proves the physique of Koreans. Therefore, the notion of food as a medicine is also quite justified: 몸보신첫식보두육보세약보다–to maintain health, first of all, porridge is needed, then meat, and only then medicines. characteristics of the negative taste qualities of food, the Korean will use comparisons that are unusual for native speakers of the Russian language. Food that tastes bad can be said: 냉수에뼈두지–like a bone in cold water. dishes are also considered a negative characteristic: 맹물에조개끓인맛이다– (tasteless), as if a shellfish was boiled in empty water.

3. Description of satiety, hunger Many Korean researchers believe that such a reverent attitude of Koreans to food is an echo of the terrible famine that reigned on the peninsula for many years and was defeated only a few decades ago. So the local habit that surprises foreigners - to eat very quickly, greedily swallowing food, is rooted in the not so distant past, when the law was in force at the table in a Korean house: "Who did not have time, he was late." We have identified a fairly large number of proverbs and sayings that describe the feeling of satiety and hunger: 면종잇장들기어렵다–когда голоден, и бумажный лист поднять трудно (ср. на пустое брюхо всякая ноша тяжела).굶주린 사람들에게는먹을것을줘야한다–голодному надо дать поесть.굶주린 사람은먹을것을가리지않는다–для голодного нет невкусной еды . 굶주린 사람 은아무 음식 맛있게 먹는다 먹는다 — The voice is eaten with appetite. 배고프면 세상 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 이귀찮다 없으면 보리 도이 밥 이라 이라 이라 이라 이라 이라 when there is nothing to go beyond the rice.

4. Approval of industriousness, diligenceThe purpose of many proverbs and sayings is the education of such moral human qualities as industriousness, diligence. Food can only be obtained with a lot of effort and effort: 낟알하나에땀이열방울이다—one grain contains ten drops of sweat.국식은가꾼대로거둔다—how much bread you collect depends on how much you care for it.쌀농사는 여든여덟번땀을흘러야한다–growing rice, you need to shed sweat eighty-eight times. For example, bread, then doused. A Korean who wants to emphasize that rice is not easy to grow can say 이밥이뼈밥이다 – rice porridge – bone porridge. In addition, proverbs have been found in which a careful, economical attitude to any food is approved: 밥먹을때도있고죽먹을때도있다 -sometimes he eats rice porridge, and sometimes he also eats stew (compare either thick or empty). spring food.

5. Condemnation of laziness, idleness Along with the encouragement of diligence, in proverbs and sayings united by the theme “food”, laziness is criticized, it is emphasized that food must be earned, earned: he won’t get into his mouth. Many proverbs of this kind are used to describe a lazy person. So, about a person who does nothing but wants to get something, Koreans will say 가만히온돌방에누워이밥먹을생각한다—lying calmly on a warm floor, dreams of rice porridge. A lazy person does not work, but eats a lot: 일않는놈이 밥은두그릇먹는다– does not work, but eats two cups of rice. rice that does not work, yes eat.

6. Condemnation of greed, gluttony Despite the fact that food is equated in Korea with the highest value, it is believed that one should eat in moderation, not be greedy. Koreans condemn gluttony, for example: 먹을 것 을 할 줄 모르면수 를 감수하게 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 된다 은반드 은반드 시절 제 해서 한다 한다 한다 한다 한다 한다 한다 한다 한다 한다 한다 한다 한다 한다 한다 맛있는 맛있는 음식 먹으면싫다 먹으면싫다 먹으면싫다 먹으면싫다 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 도자주 – and tasty food, if eaten often, becomes boring. occasion to eat.과식하고소처럼씩씩거린다–he ate so much that he puffed like a cow. if you eat first, you will get bored; at the same time, one should not leave half-eaten food, thereby demonstrating a disrespectful attitude towards it: 찬밥두고잠아니온다 - left cold (half-eaten) porridge - so sleep does not go.

7. Characteristics of etiquette norms and rules of conduct It is not surprising that the proverbs and sayings under study also reflect the strict etiquette rules and norms inherent in Korean culture, especially for table etiquette: don’t talk).음식먹을적에말말라– don’t talk while eating. disrespect for the owner: 약먹듯한다 – like taking medicine. A person who does not know how to behave at the table will be disapprovingly said: “주린고양이고기보고달려들듯” – pounces on meat like a hungry cat. culture as a traditional pattern of behavior, implies a hospitable attitude towards any person: 어떤사람이들어오던지밥한술떠놓아라– whoever comes, treat at least a spoonful of rice. Naturally, all the ingredients necessary for a Korean feast should be present on the table: 주인장없자나 국마다한다 – how tol As soon as the host runs out of soy paste, the guest refuses the soup. Thus, Koreans can characterize a meager meal as follows: 먹구멍에때도못씻었다–I didn’t even clear my throat. As you know, a woman in a family has a low status, takes care of the household, the house, while the man is the head of the family, doing all the hard work, so he needs to eat well: daughter-in-law - in the kitchen. If a man eats poorly, he will not be able to do heavy work. 밥은서서먹고아들밥은앉아먹고남편밥은누워먹는다 – rice is eaten standing up in the daughter’s house, sitting in the son’s house, and lying down in the husband’s house (i.e. the daughter’s house is a stranger, the son’s house is half a stranger, and the husband's house is his own).

8. Characteristics of a person, his appearance and character In addition, it should be noted that proverbs and sayings containing the “food” component often characterize the image of a person as a whole, his appearance, various positive and negative character traits, actions and deeds. This observation is not surprising and once again confirms the thesis that in Korea they treat food not as a necessity, but as a supreme value. So, a woman is compared with traditional Korean food: 여자와쌀은흴수록좋다– woman and rice – the whiter the better. 에묻은밥풀이다 – woman – like a grain of rice sticking to her hand (i.e. dependent on her husband). that soy paste, along with rice, appears in a large number of researched proverbs and sayings. So, the traditional expression for Russia “eat a pood of salt” in Korean culture will look like this: judging a person by their appearance can also be brought to the listener by comparison with soybean paste: 뚝배기보다장맛이좋다– a pot is good, but soy paste tastes better (the soul is more beautiful than appearance). 붉고쓴장– soy paste is red, but tastes bitter. The carriers of Russian culture, praising the spiritual qualities of a person, will say: “Small in body, but great in deed”, Koreans: 후추는작아도맵다 – small black pepper, but hot. .

A clean thing is compared to a grain of beans: 씻은팥알같다—like a grain of washed beans.

Proverbs and sayings of the subject under study are used to characterize such qualities of a person as cowardice, fearfulness: – if you are afraid of worms, then do not cook soy paste? (cf. fear of locusts - do not sow even bread). 국에데운놈이물보고도분다 - whoever burns himself with soup blows on water (cf. burnt on milk, blows on water). Indecision: 어느손에떡이큰지 모른다–he doesn’t know which hand has the larger cake. and the beans seem bigger. 쌀은쏟고주어도말은하고못줍는다–you pick up scattered rice, but you don’t turn back the spoken word. "food" can describe different emotional states of a person: Joy: 선떡먹고체했나웃기는왜웃어? – what, raw cake stuck in your throat – why are you laughing like that? Most phraseological units of the Korean language, which include the names of food, contain a cultural connotation that reflects the everyday empirical, historical, spiritual experience of Koreans, but is incomprehensible to speakers of another culture without additional commentary. T.M. writes about this. Simbirtseva in her observations about everyday life in Korea: “... everyone around was talking mainly about food. ... Phrases that were simple to the ear required a separate decoding. ” Here are a few examples: 밥을먹다 (lit. eat rice) - it’s normal to live, earn a living; 밥을주다 (lit. give rice) - financially support someone; 밥겂도못하다 (lit. cannot even make money on rice) - an empty place (about a person). Boiled rice is the main dish in Korea, so it is this lexical unit that appears in these expressions. Steamed rice with soybeans (khongbap) is one of the simplest and cheapest dishes - a common food in prisons, so this expression is synonymous with the phrase "to be in jail". ; The expression is rooted in the not so distant past, when weddings were celebrated at home, rice was expensive, and there was not always enough of it to feed numerous guests. In this case, it was successfully replaced by noodles (kuksu). 파김치가되다 (lit. to become kimchi from an onion) - to be very tired; (preparing kimchi requires a lot of time and effort).김치국부터마시다 (lit. start drinking from kimchi juice) - to distribute profits from a business that has not yet been completed; (juice in kimchi appears when the product is ready to be consumed). 미역국을먹다 (lit. eat seaweed soup) – fail in exams, be fired. 주무르듯하다 (lit. how to mash tteok) - do as you please; 두손의떡 (lit. two-handed tteok) - not knowing where to start; 떡국울먹다 (lit. have tteokguk) - grow up one year; 떡이생기다 (lit. tteok appears) - make unexpected profits; 누워서떡먹기 (lit. lying there is tteok) - very easily, without much effort; 떡이되다 (lit. turn into tteok) – to be exhausted; be in a broken state after alcohol intoxication. etc. A fairly detailed description of such lexical units is contained in the article by E.N. Filimonova "Korean rice cake tteok. Food or a symbol?”: “In the Korean language mentality, tteok takes an active part in modeling the image of a person, his portrait, mental make-up, emotional states and actions, character traits, behavior in society. Collected together, Korean proverbs containing the lexeme tteok in their composition give an idea of the complexity of the image of a person in Korean culture and the diversity of manifestations of its various aspects. Proverbs containing the lexeme tteok in their composition bear a bright seal of national color and originality, they are characteristic only for the Korean people. ”Thus, proverbs most fully, accurately and figuratively reflect the originality of associative thinking, the peculiarities of perception of the world around us and the realities of the material and spiritual the culture of the people. It seems possible to conclude that the presence of a large number of proverbs, sayings and phraseological units with the “food” component once again confirms the importance of food for any bearer of Korean culture. In the Korean language mentality, lexical units with the meaning "food" take an active part in modeling the image of a person, his portrait, mental make-up, emotional states and actions, character traits, behavior in society.

Links to sources 1. Simbirtseva T. M. Korea at the crossroads of eras. -M.: "Ant-Guide" Publishing House, 2000. -256 p.2. Ibid.3. Filimonova E.N. Food or symbol? // Language, consciousness, communication: Sat. articles / Rep. ed. V. V. Krasnykh, A. I. Izotov. –. M.: MAKS Press, 2009. –. Issue. 39. -S. 419.

I really like these Korean proverbs, wise thoughts.

I have collected Korean, English, Russian versions and phonetic transcription.

1) 집이야말로

Chipiyamallo ne maymy momun goshchida.
Home is where the heart is.
Home is where the heart is.

2) 일은 없다.

Tysyl seun saramege pulkanynhan iryn wholesale.
Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
If you really want to, you can fly into space.

3) 인내는 쓰고 열매는 달다.

Innenyn sygo olmenyn talda.
Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet.
Hard to learn - easy to fight!

4. 살다보면 괴로울 때도 있는

Saldapomyeon qiroul te inneung panmyeone chilgoul is itta.
In life there are hard times, but there are also good times.
Not everything is carnival for the cat, there will be a great post.
You need to survive.

5) 열 번 찍어 안 넘어가는

Yeol bon chigo an nomokanyn namu wholesale.
Little strokes fell great oaks.
If you suffer for a long time, something will work out!

6) 아는 것이 병이다.

Anyn goshi penida.
Ignorance is a bliss.
If you know a lot, you will soon grow old.

7) 공든 탑이 무너지랴.

Gotyn tapi munochirya.
Hard work is never wasted.
Hard work never hurt anyone.

실패는 성공의 어머니이다.

Shilpenyn songone homoniida.
Failure is the mother of success.
The darkest time is before dawn.

9) 시작이 반이다.

Sijaki panida.
Well begun is half done.
A good start was half the battle.

10) 시간이 약이다.

Shigani yakida.
Time heals all wounds.
Time is the best medicine.
Time cures.

11) 시간은 금이다.

Shchiganyn kymid.
Time is gold.
Time is gold.

12) 건강은 행복의 필요조건이다.

Konganeung henboke piryo cheongonida.
Health is a necessary condition of happiness.
Health is not everything, but everything without health is nothing

13) 계획을 세워야 한다.

Kumyl irugi uikhesonyn kuchechogin kehuekyl seuoy handa.
You should have a concrete plan to make your dream come true.
You must have a specific plan, how to make a fairy tale come true, how to make your dreams come true.

Reflection of the Korean value system

in proverbs and sayings with the component "food"

A clean thing is compared to a grain of beans: 씻은팥알같다—like a grain of washed beans.

Proverbs and sayings of the subject under study are used to characterize such qualities of a person as cowardice, fearfulness: – if you are afraid of worms, then do not cook soy paste? (cf. fear of locusts - do not sow even bread). 국에데운놈이물보고도분다 - whoever burns himself with soup blows on water (cf. burnt on milk, blows on water). Indecision: 어느손에떡이큰지 모른다–he doesn’t know which hand has the larger cake. and the beans seem bigger. 쌀은쏟고주어도말은하고못줍는다–you pick up scattered rice, but you don’t turn back the spoken word. "food" can describe different emotional states of a person: Joy: 선떡먹고체했나웃기는왜웃어? – what, raw cake stuck in your throat – why are you laughing like that? Most phraseological units of the Korean language, which include the names of food, contain a cultural connotation that reflects the everyday empirical, historical, spiritual experience of Koreans, but is incomprehensible to speakers of another culture without additional commentary. T.M. writes about this. Simbirtseva in her observations about everyday life in Korea: “... everyone around was talking mainly about food. ... Phrases that were simple to the ear required a separate decoding. ” Here are a few examples: 밥을먹다 (lit. eat rice) - it’s normal to live, earn a living; 밥을주다 (lit. give rice) - financially support someone; 밥겂도못하다 (lit. .cannot even make money on rice) is an empty place (about a person). Boiled rice is the main dish in Korea, so it is this lexical unit that appears in these expressions. Steamed rice with soybeans (khongbap) is one of the simplest and cheapest dishes - a common food in prisons, so this expression is synonymous with the phrase "to be in jail." ; The expression is rooted in the not so distant past, when weddings were celebrated at home, rice was expensive, and there was not always enough of it to feed numerous guests. In this case, it was successfully replaced by noodles (kuksu). 파김치가되다 (lit. to become kimchi from an onion) - to be very tired; (preparing kimchi requires a lot of time and effort).김치국부터마시다 (lit. start drinking from kimchi juice) - to distribute profits from a business that has not yet been completed; (juice in kimchi appears when the product is ready to be consumed). 미역국을먹다 (lit. eat seaweed soup) – fail in exams, be fired. 주무르듯하다 (lit. how to mash tteok) - do as you please; 두손의떡 (lit. two-handed tteok) - not knowing where to start; 떡국울먹다 (lit. have tteokguk) - grow up one year; 떡이생기다 (lit. tteok appears) - make unexpected profits; 누워서떡먹기 (lit. lying there is tteok) - very easily, without much effort; 떡이되다 (lit. turn into tteok) – to be exhausted; be in a broken state after alcohol intoxication. etc. A fairly detailed description of such lexical units is contained in the article by E.N. Filimonova "Korean rice cake tteok. Food or a symbol?”: “In the Korean language mentality, tteok takes an active part in modeling the image of a person, his portrait, mental make-up, emotional states and actions, character traits, behavior in society. Collected together, Korean proverbs containing the lexeme tteok in their composition give an idea of the complexity of the image of a person in Korean culture and the diversity of manifestations of its various aspects. Proverbs containing the lexeme tteok in their composition bear a bright seal of national color and originality, they are characteristic only for the Korean people. ”Thus, proverbs most fully, accurately and figuratively reflect the originality of associative thinking, the peculiarities of perception of the world around us and the realities of the material and spiritual the culture of the people. It seems possible to conclude that the presence of a large number of proverbs, sayings and phraseological units with the “food” component once again confirms the importance of food for any bearer of Korean culture. In the Korean language mentality, lexical units with the meaning "food" take an active part in modeling the image of a person, his portrait, mental make-up, emotional states and actions, character traits, behavior in society.

Links to sources 1. Simbirtseva T. M. Korea at the crossroads of eras. -M.: Publishing house "Ant-Guide", 2000. -256 p.2.Ibid.3.Filimonova E.N. Food or symbol? // Language, consciousness, communication: Sat. articles / Rep. ed. V. V. Krasnykh, A. I. Izotov. –. M.: MAKS Press, 2009. –. Issue. 39. -S. 419.

From Wikiquote

The trouble is, if the fisherman is dry, and the hunter is wet.
If the daughter were beautiful, we would choose a son-in-law.
Do not enter the fire with a bunch of straw.
In a good year, a beggar is even more miserable.
Spring is red with mollusks, and autumn with cuttlefish.
If you spill water, you won't collect it again.
It is pleasant to drink with anyone, and the brother will come running to the rescue first.
Threaten the sky with your finger.
Distribute pears, and beg for cores.
Children are nicer than their own, and wives are strangers.
The daughter is more beautiful than her own, and the neighbor has more harvest.
The human soul is revealed at the card table.
Even if the sky collapses, there will be a hole to get out.
The wife puts up with her husband who beats her and hates her mother-in-law who stops him.
Hold at least a penny - immediately your palm will sweat.
You know the way - overtake.
I ate a pear and brushed my teeth.
And the blind will be offended if you tell him that he does not see well.
When the source is clear, then the water in the lower reaches is clear.
A cat will never become a cow.
At dawn, the tiger does not make out who burst it - a monk or a dog.
Don't be afraid to die, be afraid to get sick.
Not married - do not prepare diapers.
An unloved child always eats a lot.
Nothing that the house burned down, but the bugs died.
The beginning of the source must be clear, then its lower reaches will be clear.
Draw a sword on a mosquito.
The sorrow of a widow is understandable only to a widow.
If you don't like the food - give it to the dog, if you don't like the person - be patient.
The dress is good new - a friend is better than an old one.
It's dark under the lamp.
Starve for three days - on the fourth you will steal.
Asking for meat from a tiger.
Work like an ox and eat like a mouse.
If you say during the day, the birds will overhear; if you say at night, the mice will overhear.
Tell the ox - no one will know, whisper to your wife - everyone will know.
The mountain laughs - the field cries, the field laughs - the mountain cries.
A smart cat does not see at night.
Can't walk, but tries to jump.
What do you wag if there is no tail?

An army without a leader is like a child without a mother.

Outhouse beam reproaches the mill pile for dirt

Can a crab live without claws?

The letter is a soldier, and the meaning is a general

Sometimes the salt turns sour

If there was power, there would be supporters

Hitting a fly with a sword

In a large abscess and pus a lot

In a bad year, even the seeds do not germinate

Do not enter the fire with a bunch of straw

Do not put both legs in one leg

Get into an argument, break up a fight

In someone else's porridge and beans are larger

Great, yes pumpkin; small yes pepper

A rope twisted by one's own hands is stronger

Spinning like a squirrel in a wheel

The appearance of the Buddha depends on the sculptor

Water in a full bottle does not gurgle

If you spill water, you won't collect it again

Wolves stay close to wolves, roe deer to roe deer

The crow fluttered - the pear fell

Doctor and boss the older the better

All children grow up and become adults

All herbs are the same color

Every bird has its own nest

Threw out a melon and eats a pumpkin

Pulled out hair cannot be put back in

Don't drive nails into ashes

Where it is enough to treat a guest with a chicken, he slaughters a bull

Where there are many carpenters, there are crooked walls.

Where the spider is, there is the web

Where can a firefly compete with the sun

Where there are tigers, there are tiger cubs

Where there are many owners, there are hungry guests

Swallow the sweet and spit the sour

To a hungry tiger, what a dog is, what a monk is all the same

City news is heard earlier in the countryside

The load is felt by the bull, not by its owner

A load that a horse can do, a flea can't

Even a lion can die from a worm that starts in him

Even a beautiful sight is not interesting to watch if you watch it alone.

Even if you let a cow into a bean field, you can find an excuse

Even the blind will read a difficult letter if there are three of them

Even the tiger loves his cubs

Even a good story gets boring when you hear it over and over.

You can't put two chiges on one shoulder

Ten watchmen can't watch out for one thief

Children and old people depend on care

Today I will entertain you with some Korean proverbs and sayings. I would not say that the entire list is my favorite expressions. But they seemed interesting to me at different times. Some are strange, but curious.
If someone has favorite Korean pearls, add to the collection.
The expressions are written out in an arbitrary order. I would even say that the most interesting thing is at the end.

1. 김치국부터 마시지 말라. - Don't rush to drink your kimchi soup.
Literally: don't start your meal with kimchi soup.
Meaning:

do not count your chickens before they are hatched. Kimchi soup is a spicy dish and is usually eaten with rice. Do not immediately take up food until the rice is served. You can burn yourself with spicy soup, and the rice will not appear. In a word, do not rush and plan too much in advance. It is difficult to understand this expression without imagining the Korean meal and way of thinking. If in simple words - you eat all the soup out of impatience, but they won’t give you rice and you will sit "breathing fire." So until the rice is served, don't count on it.

2. 무소식이희소식이다. - No news - already good news.
Here everything is clear and the literal translation and meaning are quite the same. Taegu often uses this expression. Especially when he doesn't want to call anyone to get news or fend off my attacks, they say why he doesn't worry when I'm all worried. His logic is simple - if something happened, they would be informed. If they don't, then nothing happened. Well, you can live like that too)

3. 윗물이 아랫물도 맑다. - The beginning of the source must be clean, then its lower reaches will be clean.
Literally: the upper water must be clean, then the lower water will be clean.
Meaning: The source determines the result. Applicable to many situations. Let's say, if the boss at the top of the public pyramid is an honest person, then his subordinates will be honest, but if the authorities allow violations, then the subordinates will do the same.

5. 가려한다. - Do not try to cover the whole sky with your palm.
Literally: close the sky with the palm of your hand.
Meaning: It is useless to try to hide from the truth. No matter how much you close your eyes with your palm, the sky will still remain in place. So the truth will not change, no matter how much we deny it or ignore it.

6. 서당개 - After three years of training and the dog will begin to read poetry.
Meaning: Something like ours can be taught to smoke even a hare, if you show enough perseverance.

7. 말하나로천냥빚갚는다. - In a word, repay a debt of a thousand nannies.
Meaning: sometimes one polite word or deed can be worth more than any money. And also courtesy, you can repay any debt. I can say that in my experience this is true for Koreans. If they really see respect, nobility, admirable character in a person’s act, they are able to forgive a debt, make a deal on less favorable terms for themselves, or go for some more material “losses” or neglect some material considerations. Not always. But it happens.

8. 사람은 죽으면 이름을 남긴다. - When a tiger dies, the skin remains; when a man dies, his name remains.
Meaning: to keep a good name and not lose face is the main thing in a person's life. This is a very Asian approach. A good name in this case is almost tantamount to a good public opinion. What people think of you really matters. Sometimes this is true, sometimes it leads to tragedy. Public opinion is known to be changeable and not always based on the truth. Trying to be good for everyone can lead a person to great misfortune and despair. But it is almost impossible to change this perception in Eastern society. "I don't care who thinks what" doesn't work.

9. 도둑이소도둑 된다 - He who steals a needle will also steal a cow.
Meaning: a thief in the small will eventually become a thief in the big. A small crime leads to a big one. In ancient times, stealing a cow was punishable by death in Korea. Simply because often the life and subsistence of the whole family depended on this animal. After all, cows (or rather buffaloes) were also plowed and used for various jobs. So the theft of a cow was equated almost to the murder of the whole family. After all, it deprived the family of a breadwinner. The expression, therefore, could be rephrased as - whoever steals a needle will come to murder.

10. 개똥도 약에 쓰려면 없다. - If dog shit (such a harsh word is used in this expression) becomes a medicine, it will not be found immediately.
Meaning: As soon as something is needed, it is not there immediately. So you had one hundred and fifty bags all over the house, and as soon as you need to pack something, you will not find a single bag, be sure. In my opinion, this is one of the universal laws - it works everywhere.

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