PROVERB · WARNING
고래 싸움에 새우 등 터진다
What it means · 뜻
In a fight between big powers, the little guy suffers.
Literal reading · 직역
In a whale fight, the shrimp's back gets broken
Context
⚠️ Warning — Korean proverbs in this family are said out loud, not just read. They arrive with the situation attached, which is why they are worth learning as whole sentences rather than as vocabulary.
Similar meaning
More like this
갈수록 태산
Things get harder the deeper you go.
계란으로 바위 치기
A hopeless fight you cannot win.
그림의 떡
Something you can see but never eat. All looks, no substance.
꼬리가 길면 잡힌다
The longer you continue, the more likely you're caught.
못 먹는 감 찔러나 본다
Out of spite, damaging something you can't have.
배보다 배꼽이 크다
The incidental cost exceeds the main one.
아닌 밤중에 홍두깨
Something totally unexpected and out of place.
임금님 귀는 당나귀 귀
Secrets eventually leak, even royal ones.
입 밖에 내지 마라
Keep it to yourself.
장담하다
Making a promise you can't keep.
종로에서 뺨 맞고 한강에서 눈 흘긴다
Taking anger out on the wrong target.
촌철살인
One wrong sentence can destroy a relationship.
새 발의 피
A trivial amount — bird blood barely shows.
닭 부리가 될지언정 소 꼬리는 되지 마라
Better first among the small than last among the great.
죽을 수가 닥치면 살 수가 생긴다
Desperation opens doors.
손자를 귀애하면 코 묻은 밥을 먹는다
Spoiling has gross invoices.
Keep learning