밑져야 본전이다

Korean

Etymology

Literally, "even with a financial loss, to still have the principal". The verb 밑지다 (mitjida) explicitly means "to make a financial loss so that one has less than the principal". The idiom thereby implies that the subject really has no money at all to begin with.

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [mit̚t͡ɕ͈ʌ̹ja̠ po̞ɲd͡ʑʌ̹nida̠]
Phonetic hangul: [믿쩌야 본저니다]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization^?	mitjeoya bonjeonida
Revised Romanization (translit.)^?	mitjyeoya bonjeon'ida
McCune–Reischauer^?	mitchŏya ponjŏnida
Yale Romanization^?	mithcye.ya pon.cen.ita

Idiom

밑져야 본전 이다 • (mitjeoya bonjeon-ida)

to have nothing to lose (said when beginning a new enterprise, etc.)