Korean Through Folktales

[Chapter 2] KongJwi And PatJwi 제 2 과 콩쥐와 팥쥐 _______________________ _________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 38 Go to Table of Contents Korean Through Folktales 4) 참새 Sparrow Before the rapid industrialization and urbanization, sparrows were considered ubiquitous in Korea. People encountered them easily and heard them chirping everywhere. In other words, sparrows were part of their daily life and they were the bird most familiar to Koreans. The element of sparrows is present in many proverbs and idioms as well as in novels and folk paintings. Sparrows are often associated with chattering, being lightweight, or even being shallow. • Click • Click (A famous painting titled 묘작도 Painting of Cats and Sparrows ) Because one staple of the Korean diet is rice, you can encounter several proverbs and idioms with both 참새 and 방앗간 , a Korean-style mill where people used to go for pounding and grinding grains. 1-2. Proverbs & Idioms Below are a few proverbs or idioms that are imbued with the values and the attributions discussed in 1-1. Select the choice that is most relevant to the underlying meaning of the given proverb or the idiom. 1) “ 느릿느릿 걸어도 황소 걸음 ” Slow the steps may be, they are strides of an ox. a. This refers to an action which may be slow in pace but is reliable and fruitful. b. This refers to a slow walk during which a task gets done. c. This refers to a response which may come slowly but is honest and helpful. 2) “ 소 귀에 경 읽기 ” Reading the Buddhist scriptures to a cow a. This means attempting to learn new things that are difficult. b. This means teaching slow learners patiently.