시도 때도 없다
Korean
Etymology
시(時) (si, “time, hour”, Sino-Korean word) + 도 (do, “even”) + 때 (ttae, “time, moment”, native Korean word) + 도 (do, “even”) + 없다 (eopda, “to be without”): "to be without [a specific] hour or moment [for it to occur]" > "to occur at any moment, to be recurrent".
Compare 한(限)도 끝도 없다 (hando kkeutdo eopda), again juxtaposing a Sino-Korean word with a native synonym for emphasis.
Pronunciation
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ɕʰido̞ t͈ɛdo̞ ʌ̹(ː)p̚t͈a̠] ~ [ɕʰido̞ t͈e̞do̞ ʌ̹(ː)p̚t͈a̠]
- Phonetic hangul: [시도 때도 업(ː)따/시도 떼도 업(ː)따]
- Though still prescriptive in Standard Korean, the great majority of speakers (in both Koreas) no longer distinguish vowel length.
Romanizations | |
---|---|
Revised Romanization? | sido ttaedo eopda |
Revised Romanization (translit.)? | sido ttaedo eobsda |
McCune–Reischauer? | sido ttaedo ŏpta |
Yale Romanization? | sito ttayto ēps.ta |
Idiom
시도 때도 없다 • (sido ttaedo eopda)
- to be recurrent
- 시도 때도 없이 찾아오는 두통 ― sido ttaedo eopsi chajaoneun dutong ― recurrent headache