Korean Four Character Idioms with Stories: Words and Examples

Korean Four Character Idioms with Stories at a Glance

Korean four character idioms with stories are called 고사성어 (gosa seongeo). 고사 means an old story, and 성어 means a set phrase, so a 고사성어 is a four-character idiom with a story behind it. Many of them come from Chinese classics, a few from Korean history, and a few from sayings with no single tale. They are a sub-set of 사자성어 (four-character idioms in general), and learning the story is the quickest way to remember the meaning.

The list on this page is arranged by theme. For the most common idioms that have little or no story, see Common Four-Character Idioms in Korean. The order inside each group is an editorial study order and not a count from a corpus.

You need to read Hangul to use the tables. If you cannot yet, start with reading Hangul.

Which Four-Character Idioms with Stories Should You Learn First?

Learn the idioms you will meet most often in news and conversation, and learn the story at the same time. 새옹지마, 전화위복, 어부지리, 사면초가 and 대기만성 are five widely used ones. Then add by interest:

1. If you like history. 와신상담, 삼고초려, 읍참마속, 토사구팽 and 지록위마.
2. If you like philosophy. 조삼모사, 우공이산, 맹모삼천, 관포지교 and 대기만성.
3. If you want to understand Korea. 홍익인간, 사군이충, 사친이효, 교우이신, 임전무퇴 and 살생유택.
4. If you read the news. 어부지리, 호가호위, 토사구팽, 사면초가 and 지록위마.
5. If you prepare for exams. Study all 30 slowly and check the official TOPIK information on topik.go.kr for what each level tests.

The scene below numbers ten objects that match ten of the idioms, so you can hold each story in a picture.

Word · 10

1. 1

   새옹지마

   Play

   saeongjima

   good and bad luck keep turning into each other

2. 2

   어부지리

   Play

   eobujiri

   a third party profits when two sides fight

3. 3

   사면초가

   Play

   samyeonchoga

   surrounded on every side with no way out

4. 4

   각주구검

   Play

   gakjugugeom

   stubbornly using an outdated method

5. 5

   조삼모사

   Play

   josammosa

   being fooled by a change that adds up to the same; short-sighted thinking

6. 6

   호가호위

   Play

   hogahowi

   using a powerful person's authority to threaten others

7. 7

   우공이산

   Play

   ugongisan

   persistence can move mountains

8. 8

   형설지공

   Play

   hyeongseoljigong

   studying hard despite poverty

9. 9

   맹모삼천

   Play

   maengmosamcheon

   a good environment matters for a child's education

10. 10

    관포지교

    Play

    gwanpojigyo

    a deep and selfless friendship

Tap a number to hear the idiom. At 3 idioms a day the list takes ten days.

Idioms from Ancient China

Many Korean idioms come from Chinese texts that Koreans have read for many centuries. These six come from histories and works of philosophy, and each carries a short tale. 새옹지마 (the horse of the old man at the frontier) opens the list because its short tale sums up the whole idea of this page: a story that holds a lesson. 어부지리, 사면초가 and 호가호위 are common in the news, and 각주구검 and 조삼모사 are common in essays.

The stories give each idiom a clear image. In 어부지리 the winner is neither fighter, so use it for a third party that gains. In 사면초가 the speaker is the one who is trapped. 호가호위 is always critical, because it describes a person who uses another's power. 조삼모사 has two uses: it can mean being fooled by a change that adds up to the same, and it can mean short-sighted thinking. The Hanja basics page introduces some of the characters.

Example Sentences

Each example is a short, polite spoken sentence. Notice the pattern noun + 이에요 or noun + 예요, where the idiom is the predicate. Idioms that end in a vowel take 예요, as in 사면초가예요, and idioms that end in a consonant take 이에요, as in 각주구검이에요. Say a sentence aloud, then read it again with the idiom hidden and say its meaning in English. The particles are explained in the Korean particles guide.

How Do You Say Idioms from Korean History in Korean?

These six idioms are Korean, not Chinese. 홍익인간 comes from the founding legend of Gojoseon. The other five, 사군이충, 사친이효, 교우이신, 임전무퇴 and 살생유택, are the Five Precepts for Laymen (세속오계), five rules that the monk Wongwang (원광) gave to young men of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of early Korea. They are traditionally linked with the Hwarang, Silla's young warrior elite, and show what such young men were taught to value: loyalty, filial piety, trust, courage and care for life.

Three of the five share one pattern, action + 이 + virtue, where 이 (以) means with or by means of: 事君以忠 is serve the ruler with loyalty. They are short, rhythmic sentences and not fixed idioms in the same sense as 어부지리, but Korean schools teach them as 사자성어. 홍익인간 is also used today as an ideal of education and public service. You may see it on school buildings and in speeches.

Wisdom Stories

These six idioms teach a lesson. 우공이산 teaches persistence, 형설지공 teaches study despite hardship, and 맹모삼천 teaches the power of environment. 관포지교 teaches friendship. 오비이락 teaches that timing is not proof, and 사필귀정 says that justice returns. Four of them are Chinese tales, one is a Korean proverb in four characters, and one is a saying with no single tale.

우공이산 is built from 우공 (the foolish old man) and 이산 (to move a mountain), and the story teaches that a task that seems impossible can be done by persistence over generations. 오비이락 has a Korean twin: 까마귀 날자 배 떨어진다 (as the crow takes off, the pear falls). Both are used when a coincidence makes someone look guilty. 사필귀정 is not a single tale. It is a long-used saying and is common in news about court cases. Notice also that the stories behind 형설지공 and 맹모삼천 are both about learning.

How Do You Say Idioms about War and Leadership in Korean?

These six idioms come from tales of war. 와신상담 is about enduring hardship for revenge. 삼고초려 is about winning a talented person with humility. 읍참마속 is about enforcing rules at a cost. 오월동주 is about enemies who help each other. 토사구팽 is about being discarded after use, and 지록위마 is about twisting the truth.

All six are Chinese tales. 삼고초려 and 읍참마속 are about the strategist Zhuge Liang, 토사구팽 and 지록위마 are about court politics, and 와신상담 and 오월동주 are about the rival states of Wu and Yue. In daily Korean, these idioms rarely refer to war. 삼고초려 is used in business about recruiting, and 와신상담 is used in sports about a team that wants revenge. 오월동주 is used when rivals cooperate, as in 경쟁 회사들이 위기에는 오월동주가 됐어요.

Idioms about Luck

The last six idioms are about fortune. 새옹지마 says luck is not fixed. 전화위복 says misfortune can become good fortune. 호사다마 warns that good events bring trouble, 고진감래 promises happiness after hardship, and 흥진비래 warns that joy ends in sorrow. 대기만성 encourages patience, and 수주대토 warns against waiting for luck instead of working.

새옹지마 and 전화위복 look similar and are often mistaken for each other. 새옹지마 is a view of life: good and bad luck keep turning, so do not judge at once. 전화위복 is about one event: a bad thing turns into a good thing. The English phrase "a blessing in disguise" matches 전화위복 more closely. 고진감래 and 흥진비래 are mirror images: the first moves from bitter to sweet, and the second from joy to sorrow.

The Books behind the Idioms

The stories on this page come from a small number of books. The table lists the book, its Korean name and the idioms it gives. This helps you remember where each tale belongs.

Five idioms have no single book: 오비이락, 사필귀정, 호사다마, 고진감래 and 흥진비래. And 전화위복 appears in several Warring States texts. Scholars sometimes name different books for the same idiom, so treat this table as a guide and not the last word.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Most idioms are said as they are spelled, but several have sound changes. The table shows eight that learners often get wrong.

The rules come from the Standard Pronunciation rules (표준 발음법) of the 국립국어원. Revised Romanization does not write tensing caused by a neighbouring sound, so it writes 각주구검 as gakjugugeom. In the tables the spoken form appears in square brackets after the Revised Romanization where it differs.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each idiom has a normal clip, and five harder ones also have a slow clip at 0.8 times the speed: 새옹지마, 오비이락, 각주구검, 홍익인간 and 지록위마. Nothing plays until you press a button.

Listen to 오비이락 first. The four syllables are even, with the vowels o, i, i and a running together. Then listen to 지록위마, where the ㄱ of 록 links to the vowel of 위, so you hear ji-ro-gwi-ma.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Four-Character Idioms with Stories?

• Calling every four-character idiom a 고사성어. Only idioms with a story are 고사성어. 일석이조 is a 사자성어 without a famous tale.
• Treating 새옹지마 and 전화위복 as the same. 새옹지마 says luck keeps turning, and 전화위복 says a bad event becomes good.
• Using 호가호위 as praise. It is critical: it describes someone who abuses another's power.
• Reading 홍익인간 as hong-ik-in-gan. The ㄱ links forward, so it is [홍이긴간].
• Reading 각주구검 as gak-ju-gu-geom. The ㅈ is tense, so it is [각쭈구검].
• Using 오비이락 for any coincidence. It is used when a coincidence makes someone look guilty.

The first two mistakes are the ones that most change the meaning of a sentence, because the idioms sound alike in English. The next sections turn the list into drills.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the deck in recognition mode until the 30 idioms feel familiar. Second, retell each story in one sentence of your own. Third, take the quiz below. The deck stores your progress only in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks, and the vocabulary worksheets page lists printable sheets. A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page.

The deck holds the same 30 cards as the tables above: Hangul, Revised Romanization and meaning.

Try this eight-question check.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Common Four-Character Idioms in Korean for idioms heard in daily talk, or return to Four-Character Idioms for the full set.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Blessing in Disguise in Korean?

The closest idiom is 전화위복 (jeonhwawibok), which means turning misfortune into fortune. A similar idiom is 새옹지마 (saeongjima), which says that good luck and bad luck keep turning into each other. For example, 그 실패가 전화위복이 됐어요 means that failure turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

How Do You Pronounce 오비이락 (obiirak)?

오비이락 is said o-bi-i-rak, with four short, even syllables. The vowels o, i, i and a run together with only a slight break between the two i sounds. The last syllable ends in a stopped k sound that you do not release. The Revised Romanization writes it obiirak, and there is no sound change in the spoken form.

How Many Four-Character Idioms with Stories Should I Learn First?

Learn about 10 first. Take the five heard most often (새옹지마, 전화위복, 어부지리, 사면초가 and 대기만성), then add 조삼모사, 우공이산, 와신상담, 삼고초려 and 토사구팽. Learn each with its story in one sentence, and add the rest of the 30 over the next two weeks.

Where Can I Practise Four-Character Idioms with Stories with Flashcards?

Use the Korean four-character idioms flashcards for a mixed deck, or the vocabulary flashcard decks page, which lists every deck with audio. This page also carries a deck with all 30 idioms in recognition mode. Your progress stays in your browser, so it is not shared with other devices.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea officially adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid that does not show tensing caused by a neighbouring sound, so spoken forms are given in square brackets and the Hangul and audio are the guide.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Four-Character Idioms with Stories?

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, write the Hangul and Hanja from memory, cover the English column and check your answers against the tables.

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