Proverbs of Effort and Patience

A 속담 (sokdam) is a short, time-honored saying that carries a lesson. In this lesson you'll learn the classic proverbs that celebrate effort and patience.

1. 티끌 모아 태산 (tikkeul moa taesan)

Literally 'dust gathered makes a great mountain.' Even the tiniest amounts add up to something enormous. It's used to encourage steady saving or persistent effort.

티끌 모아 태산이라고, 매일 천 원씩 저금했더니 백만 원이 됐어요.

Tikkeul moa taesan-irago, maeil cheon wonssik jeogeumhaesseodeoni baengman won-i dwaesseoyo.

As the saying goes, 'many a little makes a mickle' — I saved 1,000 won a day and it grew into a million won.

2. 천 리 길도 한 걸음부터 (cheon ri gildo han georeumbuteo)

Literally 'even a thousand-li journey starts with one step.' No matter how huge the task, it begins with a small start — the Korean twin of 'a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'

천 리 길도 한 걸음부터니까 오늘은 단어 열 개만 외워 보자.

Cheon ri gildo han georeumbuteonikka oneureun daneo yeol gaeman oewo boja.

Every journey starts with a single step, so let's just memorize ten words today.

고생 끝에 낙이 온다더니, 드디어 합격했어요.

Gosaeng kkeute nagi ondadeoni, deudieo hapgyeokhaesseoyo.

They say joy comes after hardship — and I finally passed.

공든 탑이 무너지랴.

Gongdeun tabi muneojirya.

A tower built with care will never topple — sincere effort is never wasted.

첫술에 배부르랴, 처음부터 잘할 순 없죠.

Cheossure baebureurya, cheoeumbuteo jalhal sun eopjyo.

No one fills their belly on the first spoonful — you can't expect to nail it right from the start.

열 번 찍어 안 넘어가는 나무 없다더니, 결국 해냈어요.

Yeol beon jjigeo an neomeoganeun namu eopdadeoni, gyeolguk haenaesseoyo.

No tree stands after ten swings of the axe — I pulled it off in the end.

우물을 파도 한 우물을 파라.

Umureul pado han umureul para.

If you dig a well, dig just one — stick with a single pursuit to succeed.

시작이 반이다.

Sijagi banida.

Starting is half the battle — well begun is half done.

Stressing persistence

Both 열 번 찍어 안 넘어가는 나무 없다 and 우물을 파도 한 우물을 파라 are about persistence and focus. They're the go-to lines for telling someone not to give up.

Proverb	Meaning
티끌 모아 태산	Small amounts add up to a lot
천 리 길도 한 걸음부터	Big goals start with small steps
고생 끝에 낙이 온다	Joy comes after hardship
공든 탑이 무너지랴	Sincere effort is never wasted
첫술에 배부르랴	You can't succeed on the first try
열 번 찍어 안 넘어가는 나무 없다	Persistence eventually wins
우물을 파도 한 우물을 파라	Focus on one thing to succeed
시작이 반이다	Well begun is half done

💡 Tip: Proverbs sound most natural when introduced with quoting forms like ~(이)라고 or ~더니.

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