그림의 떡

Korean

tteok (rice cakes).

Etymology

Literally, “rice cake (tteok) in a picture”. Native calque of 화중지병 (畵中之餠, hwajungjibyeong, “cake in a picture”). Compare 화병충기 (畵餠充饑, hwabyeongchunggi), Chinese 畫餅充飢.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key)[kɯɾimɰi t͈ʌ̹k̚] ~ [kɯɾime̞ t͈ʌ̹k̚]
Phonetic Hangul[그리믜 떡/그리메 떡]

Revised Romanization^?	geurimui tteok
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	geulim-ui tteog
McCune–Reischauer^?	kŭrimŭi ttŏk
Yale Romanization^?	kulim.uy ttek

Noun

그림의 떡 • (geurimui tteok)

(idiomatic, figuratively) prize beyond one's reach; pie in the sky