Proverbs
If a Korean crow-tit tries to walk like a stork, he will break his legs; tailor your ambitions to the measure of your abilities
If one tries to do something beyond one's capacity or reach, it is likely to do harm to oneself.
roast[fry] beans with lightning and eat them
To behave in an impatient and hasty manner.
roast[fry] beans with lightning and eat them
For the pace of progress of something or behavior to be very fast.
The law is far and the fist is close
When people get angry, they tend to use violence to deal with a problem instead of dialogue or law.
The law is far and the fist is close
It is sometimes better to solve a problem by using violence rather than law.
follow one's friend to go to the south of the river
To follow exactly what one's friend does regardless of one's own opinion.
as if a mute suffers from his/her chilly heart
An expression used to refer to a situation where one gets anxious and frustrated as one cannot speak one's mind or explain one's circumstances.
Rice plants tend to bow their heads as they grow ripe; The boughs that bear most hang lowest
A person who has an excellent ability and high status tends to be more modest.
take out and eat the liver of a flea
To take advantage of someone in a very difficult situation.
Even a wall has ears
You have to be careful about what you say because rumors spread even if it seems nobody hears.
give someone a disease and then medicine
To do harm to someone and then pretend to help him/her.
There is no man of great strength for a disease
However strong and healthy a person may be, they cannot use their strength if they are sick.
If tteok, rice cake, looks good, it will also taste good
If the appearance of something is good, its content also tends to be good.
If tteok, rice cake, looks good, it will also taste good
It is sometimes necessary to make the appearance of something good as well as its content.
A whining baby gets one more spoonful of boiled rice; The squeaky wheel gets the grease
People tend to do more favors for those who keep asking and nagging or seeking something enthusiastically.
Listen to your parents and you will get tteok, rice cake, even while sleeping
Obedience to one's own parents will bring one good luck.
A quarrel between a married couple is like cutting water with a knife
An expression meaning a married couple can easily reconcile with each other after a quarrel.
be asked for fire, but bring water; bring water at the request for fire
To do something completely different from what one was asked to do.
fan a house on fire; add fuel to the fire
To aggravate other's misfortune or make an angry person become angrier.
for fear that someone may be blown away with just a little puff and burst with just a little squeeze
An expression used to describe the attitude of parents who care much about and cherish their young children.
as if one would fly away with just a little puff and would be put out with just a little squeeze
The appearance of a person who is thin and looks very feeble.