개 미워서 낙지 산다
[gae mi’wo’seo nak’ji san’da]
What does this proverb mean?
Literally, “개 미워서 낙지 산다” means “to buy octopus because one hates their dog.”
사람은 고기를 먹고 개는 뼈를 주는데, 개가 미워서 뼈 없는 낙지를 산다는 말이니, 자기가 미위하는 사람에게는 그 사람에기 조금치도 이익이 되는 일을 하기 싫어한다는 뜻.1
People usually buy meat and give the bones to their dog. But because they don’t like the dog, they but octopus which doesn’t have any bones to den the dog the small happiness of getting a bone.
This expression is used to describe a level of pettiness where one goes out of their way to avoid bringing even a little benefit to someone they don’t like.
개 미워서 낙지 산다 consists of:
- 개: dog
(noun) - 밉다: to strongly dislike or hate
(irregular verb -ㅂ) - Verb + ~서: because or therefore
(particle) - 낙지: small octopus
(noun) - 사다: to buy
(regular verb)
Click here to see the breakdown of more Korean proverbs.
References
- 1.이영희, ed. 한손에 잡히는 우리속담. 초록세상; 2006.
