Life & wisdom
大器晩成
大器晩成 (대기만성, daegimanseong)
Meaning
Literally "a great vessel is completed late." Meaning: a person destined for greatness tends to succeed later in life.
苦盡甘來
苦盡甘來 (고진감래, gojingamnae)
Meaning
Literally "bitterness ends, sweetness comes." Meaning: good times follow after hardship — no pain, no gain.
塞翁之馬
塞翁之馬 (새옹지마, saeongjima)
Meaning
Literally "the old man at the frontier's horse," from a folktale where a lost horse eventually brings good fortune. Meaning: the good and bad in life are unpredictable and can turn into one another.
易地思之
易地思之 (역지사지, yeokjisaji)
Meaning
Literally "change places and think it over." Meaning: put yourself in the other person's shoes.
溫故知新
溫故知新 (온고지신, ongojisin)
Meaning
Literally "warm the old to know the new." Meaning: you gain new understanding by reviewing and learning from the past.
自業自得
自業自得 (자업자득, jaeopjadeuk)
Meaning
Literally "one's own doing, one's own gain." Meaning: you bear the consequences of your own actions — you reap what you sow.
一擧兩得
一擧兩得 (일거양득, ilgeoyangdeuk)
Meaning
Literally "one action, two gains." Meaning: getting two benefits from a single action — killing two birds with one stone.
積小成大
積小成大 (적소성대, jeoksoseongdae)
Meaning
Literally "small things accumulate into something big." Meaning: small efforts build up over time into a great achievement.
有名無實
有名無實 (유명무실, yumyeongmusil)
Meaning
Literally "has a name but no substance." Meaning: something exists in name only, with no real substance behind it.
初志一貫
初志一貫 (초지일관, chojiilgwan)
Meaning
Literally "the original resolve carried through consistently." Meaning: staying true to your original intention from beginning to end.
結者解之
結者解之 (결자해지, gyeoljahaeji)
Meaning
Literally "the one who tied the knot must untie it." Meaning: whoever caused a problem is the one who should resolve it.
馬耳東風
馬耳東風 (마이동풍, maidongpung)
Meaning
Literally "east wind in a horse's ear." Meaning: letting someone's words go in one ear and out the other, without taking them to heart.
知彼知己
知彼知己 (지피지기, jipijigi)
Meaning
Literally "know the other, know yourself." Meaning: understanding both your opponent and yourself is the basis for guaranteed success.
愚公移山
愚公移山 (우공이산, ugongisan)
Meaning
Literally "the foolish old man moves a mountain," from a fable about an old man who slowly dug away a mountain. Meaning: steady, persistent effort can accomplish even a seemingly impossible task.
過猶不及
過猶不及 (과유불급, gwayubulgeup)
Meaning
Literally "too much is the same as not enough." Meaning: moderation matters — excess can be just as bad as deficiency.
Situations & metaphors
雪上加霜
雪上加霜 (설상가상, seolsanggasang)
Meaning
Literally "frost added on top of snow." Meaning: one misfortune piling on top of another.
五里霧中
五里霧中 (오리무중, orimujung)
Meaning
Literally "in a fog five ri wide." Meaning: having no idea what direction a situation is heading in.
進退兩難
進退兩難 (진퇴양난, jintwoeyangnan)
Meaning
Literally "advancing and retreating are both difficult." Meaning: a tough spot where you can neither move forward nor back.
九死一生
九死一生 (구사일생, gusailsaeng)
Meaning
Literally "nine deaths, one life." Meaning: narrowly surviving after coming close to death many times over.
一石二鳥
一石二鳥 (일석이조, ilseogijo)
Meaning
Literally "one stone, two birds." Meaning: getting two benefits from a single action.
苦肉之計
苦肉之計 (고육지계, goyukjigye)
Meaning
Literally "a scheme using one's own suffering flesh." Meaning: a scheme where you sacrifice or harm yourself to escape a difficult situation.
有口無言
有口無言 (유구무언, yuguomueon)
Meaning
Literally "having a mouth but no words." Meaning: having no excuse or defense left to offer.
前途洋洋
前途洋洋 (전도양양, jeondoyangyang)
Meaning
Literally "the road ahead stretches out wide and bright." Meaning: one's future prospects are very bright.
四面楚歌
四面楚歌 (사면초가, samyeonchoga)
Meaning
Literally "songs of Chu on all four sides," from a battle where surrounded soldiers heard enemy songs from every direction. Meaning: being surrounded and isolated with nowhere to turn for help.
天壤之差
天壤之差 (천양지차, cheonyangjicha)
Meaning
Literally "the difference between heaven and earth." Meaning: an extremely large gap or difference.
換骨奪胎
換骨奪胎 (환골탈태, hwangoltaltae)
Meaning
Literally "exchange the bones, take a new womb." Meaning: someone or something transformed so completely for the better that they're barely recognizable.
百聞不如一見
百聞不如一見 (백문불여일견, baengmunburyeoilgyeon)
Meaning
Literally "hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once" (this one runs to six characters rather than the usual four). Meaning: seeing something for yourself is more reliable than only hearing about it.
龍頭蛇尾
龍頭蛇尾 (용두사미, yongdusami)
Meaning
Literally "a dragon's head, a snake's tail." Meaning: starting off grand and impressive but ending weakly or anticlimactically.
同床異夢
同床異夢 (동상이몽, dongsangimong)
Meaning
Literally "same bed, different dreams." Meaning: acting together on the surface while each person privately has different thoughts or intentions.
漁父之利
漁父之利 (어부지리, eobujiri)
Meaning
Literally "the fisherman's profit," from a fable where a fisherman catches both a clam and a bird fighting each other. Meaning: a third party benefits while two others are busy fighting.
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