TTMIK Level 8 Lesson 21 - PDF - a podcast by G9Languages

This is an Advanced Idiomatic Expressions lesson related to ??, the head or hair. In order to fully understand and use the expressions introduced in this series, it is essential that you understand the grammatical structure of the sentences. When you come across a grammar point that you are unfamiliar with, please go back and review the related lessons.

Keyword:
?? = head, hair

1. ??? ??/??? = to be smart/stupid
(?? = to be good, ??? = to be bad)

? The literal translation is that your “head” is good or bad, but the natural translation is that someone is “smart” or “not smart”. Instead of ??? ???, you can also say ??? ? ??.

Ex) ? ??? ??? ??? ??? ? ??.
= He is smart, but he doesn’t make any effort.

2. ??? ?? = to use one’s brain; to think (as opposed to just act); to do brain work

? ??? ?? is often used when thinking things through as opposed to just acting spontaneously without thinking too much. This phrase can also mean “to have the intelligence to do things in a smart or efficient way”.

Ex) ???? ?? ?? ??? ? ? ???.
= Don’t try to do it just by strength, but think a little bit (about how to solve this problem).

3. ??? ??? = to put one’s brain to work; to use one’s head to try to find a solution to a problem
(??? = to roll something)

? ??? ??? literally means “to roll one’s head”, but when used in context, it means “to try to come up with a solution to a problem by putting one’s brain to work”. This is a rather casual expression, so it can be considered rude to use it about or to someone older than you are.

Ex) ??? ??? ?? ?? ?? ? ???.
= No matter how hard I try (to think of a solution), I can’t find an answer (or solution).

4. ???(?) ??? = to think of petty tricks (to get oneself out of a situation)
(?? = little, small, fine)

? ???(?) ??? is similar to ??? ???, but by adding the word ? (adjective form of ??, meaning “little” or “small”) to ??, you add the nuance of “petty tricks” or “trying to find shortcuts/lazy ways to get out of a situation”. Just like ??? ???, this is not appropriate to use to someone you need to show respect for or be formal with.

Ex) ??? ??? ?? ??? ??!
= Stop trying to find ways to work less. Just work hard.
= Don’t think of petty tricks to not work. Get your work done.

5. ??? ?? ? ?? = to have a very bad headache; to have a splitting headache
(??? = to break)

It doesn’t mean that your head is really going break or split; it just means that you have a really bad headache. You can also say “??? ?? ??? ???”, the literal meaning of which is “my head hurts as if it’s going to be broken.”

Ex) ?? ?? ?? ?? ??? ?? ??? ?? ??? ???.
= I drank too much yesterday, so I have a splitting headache today.

6. ??? (?) ? ???? = can’t think well; can’t think straight; one’s brain is slow
(???? = to go around, to go back, to spin)

When you say that your brain or head “spins” (in Korean), just like a motor or a hard drive in a computer, it means that your brain “works” or that you are thinking. So when you say that your brain “doesn’t spin very well”, you mean that you can’t think clearly, straight, or well for the moment.

Ex) ???? ??? ? ????. ?? ? ?? ???.
= I’m tired so I can’t think straight. I’ll go get some fresh air.

7. ??? ???? = can’t think straight; to have a lot of concerns in one’s head
(???? = to be complicated, to be complex)

When someone says that his or her “head” is “complicated” in Korean, you can assume that it means a lot of thoughts and concerns are cluttering the person’s brain. ??? ???? usually has a negative connotation, so be careful when you use it!

Ex) ??? ???? ?? ??? ??? ????.
= I am worried about a lot of things these days, so my head is full of concerns.

8. ??? ??? = an idea (or thought) that flashes through one’s mind
(??? = to graze, to brush past)

??? is originally “to graze” or to “brush past”. When you walk past someone and your shoulder touches the other person’s shoulder very lightly, you use the verb ???. Therefore, when an idea (????) or a thought (??) occurs to you, you can say ??? ???.

Ex) ???? ??? ??? ????.
= I just thought of an interesting idea.
= An interesting idea just flashed through my head.

9. ??? ??? = one’s mind is blank; to be disoriented

If you find yourself in a situation where your mind goes completely blank due to any number of reasons, whether it be stress, confusion, or fatigue, you can say “??? ???” in Korean to express your situation.

Ex) ?? ?? ????? ??? ???.
= It’s so noisy here that I can’t think.

10. ??? ??? = to feel dizzy; one’s brain feels numb

You can use ??? ??? for when you feel dizzy as well as when you have a headache that makes your brain feel numb.

Ex) ??? ????? ??? ? ??.
= I stood up suddenly and I feel dizzy.

11. ??? ?? = to start thinking like a grown-up and making mature judgements.
(?? = to be big, to grow up)

You can say “??? ??” about a person whose head is big, but you can also use the word ?? to mean “to grow up”. In this case, ??? ?? means “to start thinking like a grown-up” or “to feel like someone has grown up and does not want to listen to what older people tell him/her”.

Ex) ?? ??? ??? ?? ?? ? ???.
= The children have grown, so now they don’t listen to what I say.

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