계란유골

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 계란(鷄卵) (gyeran, “chicken egg”) + 有 (“have”) + 곯 (gol-, “to rot”). The hanja 骨 (gol, “bone”) is used only for its sound. The literal meaning of the characters would be "chicken eggs have bones", which is nonsensical.

First attested in the Taepyeong hanhwa golgye jeon (태평한화골계전/太平閑話滑稽傳), 1477, involving an episode in which King Yejong of Goryeo tries to make a great gift to the unlucky minister Gang Iryong (fl. 1122), only to give him rotten eggs. Nowadays, typically associated with King Sejong and his famous state councilor Hwang Hui (lived 1363—1452):

諺傳黃尨村雖位尊宰相，然食數不足［……］一日，南門所入物貨盡賜矣。適大雨，無所入，及暮，有鷄卵一包來，烹將食之，皆有骨。骨，方言壞也。 [Korean Literary Sinitic, trad.]

From: 송남잡지/松南雜識, 1855

Popular tradition recounts that although Hwang Bangchon (Hwang Hui) held the honorable rank of chancellor, he could not eat often enough. One day, all of the merchandise that came through the South Gate were bestowed [on him by the king]. But there was a great rain, and nothing came in. When it was evening, there was a single pack of chicken eggs that came in. Hwang had them boiled and was about to eat them; but they were all "gol". In the local language [Korean], gol means "rotten".

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [kje̞ɾa̠ɲuɡo̞ɭ] ~ [ke̞ɾa̠ɲuɡo̞ɭ]
• Phonetic hangul: [계라뉴골/게라뉴골]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	gyeranyugol
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	gyelan'yugol
McCune–Reischauer?	kyeranyugol
Yale Romanization?	kyeylan.yukol

Noun

계란유골 • (gyeranyugol) (hanja 鷄卵有骨)

1. (four-character idiom from Classical Chinese) some people always have bad luck