하늘의 별 따기

Korean

Etymology

From 하늘 (haneul, “sky”) +‎ 의 (-ui, “in”) +‎ 별 (byeol, “star”) +‎ 따기 (ttagi, “pick”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ha̠nɯɾɰi pjʌ̹ɭ t͈a̠ɡi] ~ [ha̠nɯɾe̞ pjʌ̹ɭ t͈a̠ɡi]
• Phonetic hangul: [하느릐 별 따기/하느레 별 따기]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	haneurui byeol ttagi
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	haneul'ui byeol ttagi
McCune–Reischauer?	hanŭrŭi pyŏl ttagi
Yale Romanization?	hanul.uy pyel ttaki

Noun

하늘의 별 따기 • (haneur-ui byeol ttagi)

1. (idiomatic) get blood out of a stone (something that is almost impossible)

   복권에 당첨되는 것은 하늘의 별 따기다. ― Bokgwon-e dangcheom-doeneun geos-eun haneurui byeol ttagi-da. ― Winning the lottery is like picking stars from the sky.