During week #3, Jimin and I learned about Korean proverbs that were basically common sayings and sentences that contain an underlying meaning. Proverbs function to give wisdom and depth of meaning to others. One of the ones that I learned was “등잔 밑이 어둡다,” which means that one can be blind or oblivious to what is right beside one’s self. Another proverb that I thought was meaningful was “s가는 말이 고와야 오는 말이 곱다,” which translates to the fact that what one puts out is ultimately what one receives. It was helpful to also write down the literal translations of the sayings in addition to the more figurative translations.
During week #4, I learned about a different type of Korean proverb. These were four-letter words that derive from the Chinese language, for they can also be written in Chinese characters. We proceeded with a slightly different method from the week before, as these proverbs were more complex and difficult to translate. Instead, Jimin explained the meaning of each proverb, and I wrote down my own version of the meaning in Korean. One of my favorites was “고진감래,” which basically means that once the hardships are gone, reward most definitely comes.
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