천길만길
Korean
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Univerbation of 천(千) (cheon, “thousand”) + 길 (gil, “fathom”, unit of measure) + 만(萬) (man, “ten thousand; myriad”) + 길 (gil, “fathom”, unit of measure), literally "a thousand gils, a myriad gils."
Pronunciation
[edit]- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [t͡ɕʰʌ̹nɡiɭma̠nɡiɭ]
- Phonetic hangul: [천길만길]
| Romanizations | |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization? | cheon'gilman'gil |
| Revised Romanization (translit.)? | cheongilmangil |
| McCune–Reischauer? | ch'ŏn'gilman'gil |
| Yale Romanization? | chenkil.mankil |
Noun
[edit]천길만길 • (cheon'gilman'gil) (hanja 千길萬길) (chiefly literary)
- (hyperbolic) a great drop, depth, or height
- 1939, 현진건／玄鎭健<t:Hyun Jin-geon>, 無影塔 [The Shadowless Pagoda], page 15:
- 아사달이 기쁨의 절정에 올랐다면 낙망의 구렁에 천길 만길 떨어지기는 묻지 않아도 팽개이리라.
- Asadar-i gippeum-ui jeoljeong-e ollat-damyeon nangmang-ui gureong-e cheon'gil man'gil tteoreojigi-neun mut-ji an-ado Paenggae-i-rira.
- Just when Asadal, [having taken Asanyeo as his wife], rose to great heights of joy, [the person who] abysmally fell to unfathomable depths of despair was, without question, Paenggae.
- (hyperbolic, less common) a long distance
Usage notes
[edit]- (a great drop, depth, or height): Typically said of natural features such as caves, cliffs, gorges, or bodies of water.