[Korean Culture & Language] Around your waist


Hello, this is Uptempo Marketers!


The word ‘춤’ usually means ‘dance,’ but in the old days, Koreans used the word ‘춤’ to describe the waist part of the inside of a skirt or pants. The word ‘허리춤’ was used more in the old days than it is now because they used to have things, like swords, around their ‘허리춤’.


Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Ex) 너무 많이 먹어서 허리춤이 터질 것 같다.

I feel like the waist of my pants is about to burst because I ate too much.

Ex) 그는 그녀의 허리춤에 손을 둘렀다

He wrapped his arm around her waist.


Ovan’s released popular track ‘I am yours’ is titled ‘허리춤’ in Korean. 

The following are the lyrics:

baby we can head it to yeah 어디든
baby, we can head it to yeah, anywhere

오른 손은 춤을 춰 네 허리 춤
My right hand is dancing (is around your waist)

뛰어들어 둘만의 Party pool
Jump into the party pool that’s exclusively for two of us.

What I gotta do, What you gonna do

살다 보니까 해외 한 번 간적이 없네
When I come to think of it, I’ve never traveled outside of Korea in my whole life

코로나는 또 예상 조차 못해
It’s hard to predict what will happen next with the COVID.

제주도는 어떻고 서울이면 또 어때
It doesn’t matter if it’s Je-ju or Seoul.

어차피 이제 내 사랑이 나의 옆에
as long as I have my love by my side 


People used to wear fanny packs around their 허리춤. What else do we wear around your 허리춤?

댓글

댓글 쓰기

이 블로그의 인기 게시물

[Korean Culture & Language] Impulsiveness and MBTI

이미지
Hello, this is Uptempo! The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has become increasingly popular in Korea in 2020, owing to people’s boredom due to the COVID-19 quarantine. Since the spring, MBTI feeds have been readily available on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms.   Below is a popular meme titled ‘ #MBTI 충동 (MBTI Impulsiveness) ’. This meme jokingly illustrates how ‘ 충동적인 (impulsive)’ each MBTI types are.   https://ddnews.co.kr/mbti-%EC%A7%A4-%EB%B0%88/ It reads: 전혀 충동적이지 않음 (Not impulsive at all): ENTJ, ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ 평균적으로 충동적임 (Average impulsivity): INTJ, INFJ, ENFJ, ESFJ 너무 충동적 (Very impulsive): INTP, INFP, ISTP, ISFP 엄청나게 충동적 (Extremely impulsive): ENTP, ENFP, ESTP, ESFP 전혀 means ‘ not at all ,’ 평균적으로 means ‘ to an average level ,’ 너무 means ‘ very , ’ 엄청나게 means ‘ extremely ’.   The above meme is another illustration of impulsiveness by MBTI types. ENFP says “ 요즘 자수가 너무 배우고 싶어 (I want to learn how to embroider). 근데 나 소묘도 배워...
자세한 내용 보기

[Korean Culture & Language] Switching between the liver and the gallbladder

이미지
Hello, this is Uptempo! “Saving face” has always been a very important part of Korean culture. Most Koreans try hard to “ 체면을 세우다 (build one’s face),” and “ 체면을 지키다 (maintain one’s face),” and not to “ 체면을 잃다 or 체면을 구기다 (lose one’s face).” ‘ 세우다 ’ means ‘to build’ ‘ 지키다 ’ means ‘to keep’ ‘ 잃다 ’ means ‘to lose’ ‘ 구기다 ’ means ‘to crumple’ or ‘to damage’ ‘Saving one’s face’ means ‘to build one’s reputation,’ ‘maintaining’ one’s face’ means ‘to keep one’s reputation,” and ‘losing one’s face’ means ‘to lose or damage one’s reputation.’ However, some people are more concerned about their profit than “saving or maintaining their face.” They “ 간에 붙었다 쓸개에 붙었다 한다. ” ‘ 간 ’ means ‘liver’ ‘ 붙다 ’ means ‘to stick’ ‘ 쓸개 ’ means ‘gallbladder’ It is directly translated to “It sticks to the liver for a second and then moves to the gallbladder to stick to it for another.” It describes the behavior of someone who switches between two opposing teams or groups for completely selfish reasons. The...
자세한 내용 보기

[Korean Culture & Language] Washing one's Identity

이미지
Hello, this is Uptempo! In July 2021, a Chinese man in his 50s got arrested for killing two people in China and fleeing to Korea. It took years to catch him because he has ‘ 신분세탁 (washed his identity) ’ . Photo by   Jeremy Sallee   on   Unsplash https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/24104555#home According to Korea JoongAng Daily, this murderer killed two people in Yantai, Shandong Province, China in 1987, when he was 20. While hiding in China, he made a new passport after ‘ 신분세탁 (washing his identification) ’. He entered Korea in 2016, and has obtained a permanent residency (F5) visa by marrying a Chinese woman who had obtained Korean citizenship a while back. The term 신분세탁 (Washing one’s identity) refers to a person’s attempt to conceal their prior identity to rebuild a new life . Prostitutes and ex-convicts, for example, are likely to strive to 신분세탁 (rebuild their lives by concealing the fact that they have ever committed a crime or worked as a prostitute).   Belo...
자세한 내용 보기