생이별
Korean
Etymology
Sino-Korean word from 生 (生, “life, lifetime”) + 離別 (“separation, departure, bidding farewell”).
Pronunciation
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [sʰɛŋibjʌ̹ɭ] ~ [sʰe̞ŋibjʌ̹ɭ] ~ [sʰɛŋnibjʌ̹ɭ] ~ [sʰe̞ŋnibjʌ̹ɭ]
- Phonetic hangul: [생이별/셍이별/생니별/셍니별]
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | saeng'ibyeol/saengnibyeol |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | saeng'ibyeol/saengnibyeol |
| McCune–Reischauer? | saengibyŏl/saengnibyŏl |
| Yale Romanization? | sayngipyel/sayngnipyel |
Noun
| South Korean Standard Language | 생이별(生離別) (saeng'ibyeol) |
|---|---|
| North Korean Standard Language | 생리별(生離別) (saengnibyeol) |
생이별 • (saeng'ibyeol) (hanja 生離別)
- final/permanent parting or departure between loved ones (e.g. family members or lovers)
- 6.25로 남편과 생이별을 하게 되었다.
- yugio-ro nampyeon-gwa saengnibyeol-eul hage doeeotda.
- She was separated permanently from her husband due to the Korean War.
Usage notes
- In the standard language, and hence in news broadcasts, official proclamations, etc., the word is pronounced as 생니별 (saengnibyeol). This is presumably also the only accepted pronunciation in North Korea.
- The pronunciation 생이별 (saeng'ibyeol) with no /n/, although technically nonstandard, is overwhelmingly common in South Korea with 89.4% of surveyed speakers preferring it.[1]
Derived terms
- 생이별(生離別)하다 (saeng'ibyeolhada)
References
- 한국어의 발음 현황 조사 요약 보고서 [The current circumstances of Korean phonology: A summarized report], National Institute of the Korean Language, 2016