[Korean Culture & Language] Not even a thread is tangled

 

Hello, this is Uptempo Marketers!


일사불란(一絲不亂) is literally translated to ‘not even a thread is tangled’.

일(一) means one

사(絲) means Thread

불(不) means no

란(亂): means tangled

It means everything is in perfect order that there isn't a single flaw to be found. 


Below cartoon illustrates 일사불란:

It reads: “Let’s show the boss what we practiced!”

“…”

“Everyone, stand in one line!”

*Slowly moving* 

“Right Face!”

*Marching in a disorderly manner*

*Ring*

“Oh, It’s time for lunch!”

“In one line!”

“Right Face!”

*In perfect order*

“March toward the cafeteria!”

*Flawless*

“Ugh, they are 일사불란(perfectly in order) only for food!”


Like ‘고진감래’ from my last article, someone has altered this idiom to make it humorous:

일사분란: 일 하는데 사장 오면 분위기 장란아님

일 means work

하는데 means while

사장 means boss

오면 means comes

분위기 means the atmosphere

장난(장란) means joke (Since ‘란’ sounds like ‘난,’ people often replace 난 with 란 as a joke. However, the two are not interchangeable)

아님 means no

It translates to “When the boss shows up, the atmosphere turns no joke,” which means “The work atmosphere becomes serious once the boss shows up”.


It reminds me of the meme below:

The boss says: “Remember to take breaks in between.” 

The man replies “I was taking one and you came”

Since Korea has a highly hierarchical work culture, no one would actually dare to say that. However, I’m sure many people can relate to it. 

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