타산지석
Korean
Etymology
Sino-Korean word from 他 (“other”) + 山 (“mountain”) + 之 (“possessive particle”) + 石 (“stone”). From the Classic of Poetry:
- 他山之石，可以攻玉。 [Korean Literary Sinitic, trad.]
- From: The Classic of Poetry, 11th—7th centuries BCE, with Korean hyeonto and James Legge’s translation
- 타산지석(이) 가이공옥(이라)
Ta san ji seog[-i] gai gong’og[-ira]. [Sino-Korean] - The stones of those hills, may be used to polish gems.
In the later Confucian exegetical tradition, the stones were understood as an allusion to men of lesser moral worth, and jade to the virtuous.
Pronunciation
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [tʰa̠sʰa̠ɲd͡ʑisʰʌ̹k̚]
- Phonetic hangul: [타산지석]
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | tasanjiseok |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | tasanjiseog |
| McCune–Reischauer? | t'asanjisŏk |
| Yale Romanization? | thasan.cisek |
Noun
타산지석 • (tasanjiseok) (hanja 他山之石)
- (set phrase from Classical Chinese) trait, typically seemingly minor or negative, of another person or group which can nonetheless serve as a lesson for oneself
- 그의 실수를 타산지석으로 삼아야 할 것이다.
- Geu-ui silsu-reul tasanjiseog-euro sama-ya hal geos-ida.
- We must take his mistake as a lesson for ourselves.