[Korean Culture & Language] from 선물 to 선빵
In my last post, ‘선물 (seonmul): gifts and futures’, I explained the two meanings of 선물 (seonmul), and how two words that are spelled and read the same way can have different meanings when they are based on different Chinese characters.
If you’re someone interested in learning to speak Korean, understanding the role that Chinese characters play in the Korean language will really boost your learning speed. Consider the following:
A futures contract is an agreement to trade something at a specified time in the future, at a predetermined price. That’s why it’s called “futures”; you’re agreeing to trade something in the future.
In Korean, futures is 선물 (先物), which literally means “beforehand-thing.” It makes sense because you’re agreeing to trade something at a “predetermined” price; so it’s a “thing” you agree on “beforehand.”
선 (先, seon) means “first” or “beforehand.” With this knowledge, many Korean words will make sense in a new light.
Some restaurants require you to pay before sitting down to eat. That policy is called 선불 (先拂, seonbul), which means “pay first.”
Koreans have respect for those that came first. That’s why teachers are called 선생 (先生, seonsaeng), which means “born first.”
Teachers are born before their students, so they are able to learn a lot in advance and teach those that come later.
Koreans are so respectful to those who came first that there’s a special title for people who enter an organization first: 선배 (先輩, seonbae).
In your workplace, any coworker who started working before you is your seonbae. In school, any student who entered your school before you is your seonbae. Your seonbae is a person of the “first group,” the group that came before you. In Korea, you must be extra polite to your seonbae.
Being born first can earn you the title of a teacher. Being admitted into an organization first earns you the title of a seonbae. And landing the first punch can win you a fight.
선빵 (先빵, seon-bbang) is a common slang word meaning “the first strike in a fight.” In a fight between two people, whoever throws the first punch or kick has thrown the seon-bbang.
By knowing that 선 (先, seon) means “first” or “beforehand,” you can see how many words are related to each other. You can also guess the meanings of words you hear for the first time.
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