Korean proverbs

A Korean proverb (Korean: 속담, Sok-dam) is a concise idiom in the Korean language which describes a fact in a metaphorical way for instruction or satire.^[1] The term 속담 (Sok-dam, Korean proverb) was first used in Korea during the Joseon Dynasty, but proverbs were in use much earlier. The example "I am busy with my work, and I am in a hurry for my family" in the article "욱면비염불서승(郁面婢念佛西昇, Uk myeon biyeombulseoseung)" in Volume 5 of 삼국유사 (三國遺事, Samguk yusa) indicates that a number of proverbs were in common use during the Three Kingdoms period.

Use[]

A Korean proverb, which generally reflects pre-modern lifestyles and ways of thinking, can be mistakenly thought to have been created in the past.^[2] The proverbs may fall into one of two categories: descriptions of historical events, or descriptions of common events in everyday life.^[3]

Although many proverbs derive from descriptions of common events, they may include proper names: historical figures, literary works or regions. The following proverbs contain proper nouns:^[2]

• 황정승(黃政丞)네 치마 하나 세 모녀가 돌려 입듯 ("As if Hwang Jung Seung three mothers and daughters wear a skirt")
• 춥기는 사명당(四溟堂)의 사첫방이라 ("The cold is the first room of SaMyeongdang", a proverb used when a room is cold)
• 한상국(韓相國)의 농���짓기 ("Farming in Han Sang-guk")
• 변학도(卞學道) 잔치에 이도령(李道令)의 밥상 ("Lee Do-ryeong's table at the Byeonhak-do feast")
• 운봉(雲峰)이 내 마음을 알지 ("Unbong knows how I feel")
• 조자룡(趙子龍)이 헌 칼 쓰듯 ("Just like Zhao Zilong uses an old sword")
• 장비(張飛)는 만나면 싸움 ("Jangbi fights when they meet")
• 양천현감(楊川縣監) 죽은 말 지키듯 (Yangcheon-hyeon-gam (楊川縣監, "Like protecting a dead horse")
• 아산(牙山)이 깨어지나 평택(平澤)이 무너지나 ("Asan is broken", or "Pyeongtaek is collapsed")
• 평양감사(平壤監司)도 저 싫으면 그만 ("The position of inspector in Pyeongyang is not good if you do not want to do it")

An expression becomes a proverb in five steps. First, an individual relates a parable from their imagination or an event. For a parable to become a proverb, it must be generally understood.^[4] The five steps are:^[5]

• Story
• Description
• Refinement of the description
• Retelling of the story
• Formalization of the story

A proverb begins with a colloquialism, and may be refined with retelling or acquire an odd meaning.^[6]

Structure[]

A Korean proverb may be classified as having one of two forms: short and long. The short form is usually a phrase describing a complex concept, and the long form is a complex sentence.^[7] Prosodic and syntactic harmony may be found in a proverb.

Prosody[]

Prosodic harmony is achieved in two ways: 압운 (Ab-woon, 押韻; rhyme) and 율격 (Yul-gyeok, 律格; rhythm).^[8] In a rhyme, syllables with a similar pronunciation are inserted at certain places in a poem.^[9] 두운 (Du-woon, 頭韻), 각운 (gak-woon, 脚韻) or word repetition is used. Du-woon is a rhyme at the beginning of a line, and gak-woon is a rhyme at the end of a line.^[10] Examples are:

• 지게 지고 제사 지내도 다 제멋 ("Even if you carry the burden and perform the ancestral rites, everything is your own style")
• 소는 소힘, 새는 새힘 ("A cow is a cow, a bird is a bird")
• 가는 날이 장 날 ("The day you go is a rainy day")
• 꿩 먹고, 알 먹고 ("Eat pheasant, eat eggs")
• 아이 치레, 송장 치레 ("Dressing a child is like dressing a corpse")
• 바람 부는 대로, 물결 치는 대로 ("As the wind blows, the waves wave")
• 염불도 몫몫, 쇠뿔도 각각 ("Each of them sings only their own, and each cow has its own horn")

In Korean proverbs, rhythm consists of two four-syllable feet which are doubled like traditional poetry. Examples are:^[10]

• 공든 탑이 무너지랴 ("An elaborate tower doesn't fall")
• 무른 땅에 말뚝 박기 ("Pile in soft ground")
• 병신 자식 효도 본다 ("A sick child is obedient")

Syntax[]

Korean proverbs with syntactic harmony are lengthy. About 10 percent of all proverbs, examples are:^[5]

• 가루는 칠수록 고와지고, 말은 할수록 거칠어진다 ("The more you powder, the finer it gets, and the more you talk, the rougher it gets")
• 낮말은 새가 듣고, 밤말은 쥐가 듣는다 ("Birds hear the words of day, and mice hear the words of night")
• 좋은 일에는 남이요, 궂은 일에는 일가라 ("When it's good for me, it's someone else's, and when it's bad, I pretend to know")
• 꿀 먹은 벙어리요, 침 먹은 지네라 ("Honey-eaten dumb, salivating centipede")
• 불 없는 화로, 딸 없는 사위 ("Brazier without fire, son-in-law without daughter")
• 내리사랑은 있어도, 치사랑은 없다 ("A superior may love a subordinate, but it is difficult for a subordinate to love a superior")
• 가는 말이 고와야, 오는 말이 곱다 ("If the word you say is good, then the word coming back at you is good")
• 윗물이 맑아야, 아랫물이 맑다 ("When the water above is clear, the water below is clear")
• 입은 거지는 먹어도, 벗은 거지는 못 먹는다 ("A clothed beggar can eat, but a naked beggar cannot")

Literary forms[]

Proverbs have two forms: poetry and narrative.

Poetry[]

Many poetic proverbs have a concise word form, consisting of one line or two phrases and one line. Eight syllables are most often used, followed by nine or seven syllables. The eight syllables have a 4-4 rhythm in the letter count and two feet. In addition to the 4-4 letter rhythm, 3-4, 5-5, 6-5, 6-6 and 7-5 letter rhythms are used.^[11][12][13]

Examples of letter-count rhythm are:

• 동무 따라 강남 간다 ("I go to Gangnam with my comrade"; 4-4)
• 자는 범 코침 주기 ("Stabbing a sleeping tiger in the nose"; 3-4)
• 금일 충청도 명일 경상도 ("Today, Chungcheong-do; tomorrow, Gyeongsang-do"; 5-5)
• 구더기 무서워 장 못 담글까 ("I am afraid of maggots, so I can't make seasoning"; 6-5)
• 토끼 죽으니 여우 슬퍼한다 ("When the rabbit dies, the fox mourns"; 6-6)

Examples of foot rhythm are:

• 안성 맞춤/안장 맞춤 ("perfect fit")
• 이마에 부은 물이/발뒤꿈치로 흐른다 ("Water poured on the forehead flows to the heels")

Some proverbs are used in folk songs:

Narrative[]

Some simple proverbs include a narrative, which may precede^[14] or follow the proverb.^[15]

Uses[]

Proverbs may be instructive or satirical. The proverb "It's dark under the base of a lamp" is generally interpreted as instructive; the truth may be hidden in plain sight.^{[16] [14]} Other proverbs may employ gentle mockery. "There is no dinner in the twelve skills" notes that not all abilities can be used to earn a living,^[17] and the hearer of a proverb (a child, or a friend who wants to borrow money) affects the proverb's meaning. Half-sentence proverbs (such as "Can one hand clap?") are often used satirically.^[14]

Characteristics[]

Proverbs can reflect social class.^[18] The Yangban of the Joseon used proverbs with Chinese characters.^[19] to reduce their earthiness.^[20]

The subjects of proverbs have been divided into seven categories: livestock, nature, the home, humanity, food, language, and the body.^[21] Reflecting everyday life rather than universal truth, proverbs can illustrate contemporary mores.^[22]

Cynical proverbs^[23] have a jaundiced view of government or religion:^[24]

• "Loyalist if I win, traitor if I lose"
• "The Yangban are from writing, and the plebeians are from [their] feet"
• "A non-Yangban goes to the market and commands" (In some places, it's easy to pretend to be smart.)

Concepts such as loyalty or ethnicity are unknown in Korean proverbs,^[25] which criticized Buddhism even in the unified Silla or early Goryeo. Confucianism was the only recognized religion during the Joseon, and many proverbs were critical and disrespectful of Buddhist^[26] bhikkhus.^[27][28]

See also[]

• Chinese proverbs
• Japanese proverbs

References[]