PROVERB · HOPE
죽을 수가 닥치면 살 수가 생긴다
What it means · 뜻
Desperation opens doors.
Literal reading · 직역
Cornered by death, a way to live appears
Context
🌈 Hope — 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
궁하면 통하다
Desperation breeds solutions.
시간이 약이다
Time heals. Wait it out.
고생 끝에 나이 온다
Endure now, enjoy later.
닭 쫓아가 개 잡는다
Set out for one thing, got something better.
뜻이 있는 곳에 길이 있다
Determination opens any road.
무소식이 희소식
Silence means nothing has gone wrong.
비 온 뒤에 땅 굳는다
Adversity strengthens. Conflict builds bond.
하늘이 무너져도 솟아날 구멍이 있다
There's always a way out.
개똥유집 딸 시집간다
Even in poverty, joy happens.
전화위복
Blessing in disguise.
쥐구멍에도 볕 드는 날 있다
Everyone catches a break eventually.
짚신도 짝이 있다
There's a match for everyone.
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.
손자를 귀애하면 코 묻은 밥을 먹는다
Spoiling has gross invoices.
열 길 물속은 알아도 한 길 사람 속은 모른다
People are hard to read.
Keep learning