- ko: "나간 놈 몫은 있어도 자는 놈 몫은 없다."

en:

lit: "gone-out guy portion exists-even-though sleeping guy portion absent"

trans:

- "The absent one gets his share, though the sleeping one doesn't."

means:

- "The lazy person deserves no favors."

- ko: "나갔던 며느리 효도한다."

en:

lit: "gone-out daughter-in-law dutiful-to-parents."

trans:

- "The run-away daughter-in-law is dutiful to parents."

means:

- >

Words used when someone with whom you've never gotten along,

unexpectedly gets along well with you.

- ko: "나그네 귀는 석 자라."

en:

lit: "guest/traveler/wanderer ear three feet-is"

trans:

- "A guest's ear is three feet wide."

- "A traveler's ear is three feet wide."

means:

- >

Regardless of where they are, a visitor is always curious about

the head of the house, and will come to listen to even the

host's whispered words.

- >

Because a traveler wanders and visits different places, they

do a lot of listening.

- ko: "나 먹자니 싫고 남 주자니 아깝다."

en:

lit: "I eat-let's(say)-and-then disagreeable-and other give-let's(say)-and-then regretful"

trans:

- "Hates to say 'I'll eat it', and is reluctant to say 'I'll give it to someone else.'"

- "Won't eat it, and won't share it."

means:

- >

This describes someone who is so stingy, and gives so

grudgingly, that they would regret giving away something

they despise.

- ko: "나무는 큰 나무 덕을 못보아도 사람은 큰사람 덕을 본다."

en:

lit: "tree big tree virtue cannot-see-through person great-person virtue sees"

trans:

- "Though a tree cannot see the virtue of a great tree, a person sees the virtue of a great person."

means:

- >

If a small tree exists beside a large tree, sunlight is concealed from it

and it can even receive injury, but place a person beside a successful

person, and they will receive many kinds of benefit and favor.

- ko: "나무에 오르라 하고 흔든다."

en:

lit: "tree-at climb say-and shake"

trans:

- "Tell someone to climb a tree and then shake it."

means:

- >

These words say that someone incites someone to ascend a tree,

and then shakes it so the person falls. Thus, it suggests using

good words to lure a person into a difficult situation, where

they are cornered.

- ko: "나무에 잘 오르는 놈이 떨어져 죽고, 헤엄 잘 치는 놈이 빠져 죽는다."

en:

lit: "tree-at well climbing guy fall-and die-and, swimming well doing guy drowns-and dies."

trans:

- "The gifted tree-climber falls to his death, and the talented swimmer drowns."

means:

- >

A talented person trusts too much in their gift and then makes a

mistake, so this says that you should not put too much trust solely

in your abilities.

- ko: "나쁜 사람을 가까이 하면 착한 사람이 멀어진다."

en:

lit: "bad person closely does-if nice person far-becomes."

trans:

- "If the bad person draws near, the nice person goes away."

means:

- >

If a bad person draws near, even you might become bad, and

the nice people in the area go far away.

- ko: "나이 젊은 딸이 먼저 시집간다."

en:

lit: "age young daughter first married"

trans:

- "The young daughter marries first."

means:

- >

Just as it is advantageous for a young person to marry, in

society too a young person will be employed first.

- ko: "나중 보자는 양반 무섭지 않다."

en:

lit: "later see-let's-saying nobleman frightful-not"

trans:

- "A gentleman who says 'let's wait and see' is not frightful."

means:

- >

There is nothing frightening about someone who does not

immediately vent their wrath, and is determined to wait

and see.

- ko: "낙숫물은 떨어지던 데 또 떨어진다."

en:

lit: "raindrops-falling-from-eaves drips-although more drips"

trans:

- "Though the rain drips from the eaves, more always falls."

means:

- >

It is difficult to change a behavior which has become an

ingrained habit.

- ko: "낙숫물이 댓돌 뚫는다."

en:

lit: "raindrops-falling-from-eaves terrace-stones bores-through"

trans:

- "Rain dripping from the eaves pierces the terrace stones."

means:

- >

Even if your strength is small, with steady effort you can

accomplish a large task.

- ko: "날 잡은 놈이 자루 잡은 놈을 당하랴?"

en:

lit: "blade seized guy hilt siezed guy be-match-for-shall?"

trans:

- "Is the guy who siezed the blade a match for the guy who siezed the hilt?"

means:

- >

Just as a person who has grabbed a knife by the blade cannot be

a match for a person who has siezed it by the hilt, a person in

an unfavorable situation will have a difficult time prevailing

over a person in a favorable situation.

- ko: "남대문 본 놈과 안 본 놈이 다투면, 안 본 놈이 이긴다."

en:

lit: "south-gate seen guy-and not seen guy quarrel if, not seen guy win"

trans:

- "If two quarrel, and one has seen the South Gate, the one who hasn't will win."

means:

- >

Describes the difficulty of pointing out the right way to someone

who obstinantly fights against it.

- >

Sarcastically describes one face of the world's failing when the

wrong person defeats the right person.

- ko: "남의 다리 긁는다."

en:

lit: "other's leg scratch"

trans:

- "Scratch someone else's leg."

means:

- >

You do your own task, but the result unexpectedly benefits

someone else instead.

- ko: "남의 떡에 설 쇤다."

en:

lit: "other's cake-at New Year's Day celebrate."

trans:

- "Celebrate New Year's with someone else's cake."

means:

- >

These words describe being so poor that you couldn't make your

own cake, and so you celebrate New Year's with a cake sent from

a neighbor. Just so, this saying means that you accomplish a task

with the help of others.

- ko: "남의 돈 천냥이 내 돈 한푼만 못하다."

en:

lit: "other's money thousand-nyang my money one-penny-only can't do."

trans:

- "Another's thousand dollars cannot beat my one penny."

means:

- >

No matter how much someone else has, I cannot use any of it.

Thus, the few things I have are more precious.

- ko: "남의 등은 봐도 제 등은 못 본다."

en:

lit: "other's back see-though self back cannot see"

trans:

- "Though you can see another's back, you cannot see your own."

means:

- >

Though you can see other's mistakes, it is difficult to

know your own.

- ko: "남의 말 내가 하면, 남도 내 말 한다."

en:

lit: "other's word I do-if, other-too my word do"

trans:

- "If I say another's words, they too will say my words."

means:

- >

If I see another's flaws, they too will see my flaws.

- ko: "남의 머리는 깎아도 제 머리는 못 깎는다."

en:

lit: "other's hair cut-though my hair cannot cut"

trans:

- "Though I cut another's hair, I cannot cut my own."

means:

- >

You can help someone else, but your own task cannot be done

just as you would like.

- ko: "남의 밥 보고 장 떠먹는다."

en:

lit: "other's rice see-and soy-sauce eat"

trans:

- "See another's rice and eat soy sauce."

means:

- >

These words say that someone has no thought to share their rice,

and yet you eat soy sauce in anticipation. Thus, it means that

you desire--without reason--someone else's things.

- ko: "남의 밥을 먹어봐야 부모 은덕을 안다."

en:

lit: "other's rice eat-and-see-must parent benefit know"

trans:

- "You must eat another's rice to know your parents' worth."

means:

- >

This says that you must leave home and suffer hardships in

order to know gratitude for your parents.

- ko: "남의 밥에 든 콩이 더 커 보인다."

en:

lit: "other's rice-in contained bean more large appears"

trans:

- "The bean in another's rice looks larger."

means:

- >

A greedy person likes what someone else has, and wants to

have it.

- ko: "남의 불에 게 잡는다."

en:

lit: "other's flame-at crab butcher"

trans:

- "Butcher a crab at another's fire."

means:

- >

At evening, when it's time to butcher crabs, you ought to

stoke your fire, but instead you use the light of another's

fire to butcher your crabs. Thus, this means that you depend

on someone else, and shamelessly seek their assistance.

- ko: "남의 속에 있는 글도 배운다."

en:

lit: "other's inside-existing writing-too learn"

trans:

- "Learn even what's written in another's heart."

means:

- >

Whatever you see another person doing, you can do likewise.

- ko: "남의 염병이 내 고뿔말 못하다."

en:

lit: "other's plague my cold-only inferior-to"

trans:

- "Their plague can't match my cold."

means:

- >

Said sarcastically of a person who cannot understand another's

difficulties and acts purely according to self-interest.

- ko: "남의 일이라면 발 벗고 나선다."

en:

lit: "other's task-supposing feet remove-and get-started"

trans:

- "Kick off your shoes and get started, though it be another's job."

means:

- >

This describes helping with another's task as if it were your own.

- ko: "남의 자식 흉보지 말고 내 자식 가르치랬다."

en:

lit: "other's offspring disparage-do-not-and my offspring teach"

trans:

- "Don't disparage another's children, and teach your own."

means:

- >

Before you speak ill of someone else's children, teach your own

children well.

- ko: "남의 잔치에 감 놓아라 배 놓아라 한다."

en:

lit: "other's party-at persimmon put pear put say"

trans:

- "Order pears and persimmons at someone else's party."

means:

- >

Describes someone who interfers in this and that, though those

tasks have no relation to them at all.

- ko: "남의 장단에 춤춘다."

en:

lit: "other's rhythm-to dance"

trans:

- "Dance to someone else's beat."

means:

- >

This says that you do what someone else is doing, though it has

no particular meaning to you.

- ko: "남이 눈 똥에 주저앉는다."

en:

lit: "other-person passed dung-in sit/settle"

trans:

- "To sit in someone else's poop."

means:

- >

As a result of someone else's mistake, you are falsely accused and

hurt.

- ko: "남의 집 금송아지가 내 집 송아지만 못하다."

en:

lit: "other's house golden-calf my house calf-only inferior"

trans:

- "Another's golden calf is inferior to my calf."

means:

- >

No matter how good another's things are said to be, they have

no use to me, and though my things are small, because they are

mine they have substance.

- ko: "남이 장에 간다고 하니 거름 지고 나선다."

en:

lit: "someone-else market-to go-says and-so muck carry-and come-out"

trans:

- "Someone says he's going to market, so you head out bearing manure."

means:

- >

Describes someone who, lacking strength of character, just does

as someone else does.

- ko: "낫 놓고 기역자도 모른다."

en:

lit: "sickle lay-down-and letter-ㄱ not-know"

trans:

- "Lay down a sickle and not recognize the letter 'ㄱ'."

means:

- >

This says someone is very ignorant, as if they had laid down

a sickle and didn't know what the letter 'ㄱ' looks like,

even though it looks exactly like a sickle.

- ko: "낮 말은 새가 듣고 밤 말은 쥐가 듣는다."

en:

lit: "day words bird hears-and night words mouse hears"

trans:

- >

The bird hears conversation by day, and the mouse hears

talk by night.

means:

- >

Nothing can be secret from the entire world, so be careful with

your words.

- ko: "낮에 나서 밤에 컸나?"

en:

lit: "day-at come-out-and-then night-at got-bigger?"

trans:

- "Was he born in the day and raised at night?"

means:

- >

Perhaps because he was born in the brightness of day and raised

only in pitch-black night, but he is resource-strapped like a

simpleton, doing stupid deeds.

- ko: "낮에는 눈이 있고 밤에는 귀가 있다."

en:

lit: "day-at eyes exists-and night-at ears exist"

trans:

- "Eyes in the day, and ears in the night."

- "Eyes by day, and ears by night."

means:

- >

During the day, there is someone that sees, and at night there

is someone that hears, so you ought to be careful with your

actions or words.

- ko: "낮은 땅에 물이 괸다."

en:

lit: "low land-at water gathers"

trans:

- "Water collects in low land."

means:

- >

You must make yourself low and humble in order for people to

keep company with you.