[Learning Korean Idioms] Even Monkeys Fall from Trees (원숭이도 나무에서 떨어진다)

Even Monkeys Fall from Trees

Understanding the Meaning of the Korean Idiom 'Even Monkeys Fall from Trees'

There is a Korean idiom that goes, 'Even Monkeys Fall from Trees'.

Can you guess what it means?

It means that even experts can make mistakes, just like monkeys who are experts at climbing trees can sometimes fall.

This idiom has multiple layers of meaning.

It conveys the message of 'don't be arrogant and stay humble, because everyone can make mistakes'.

It also implies 'we should be understanding of others' mistakes because everyone makes them'.

Furthermore, it can be interpreted as 'it's okay to make mistakes, so don't give up and keep trying'.

The Story Behind the Korean Idiom 'Even Monkeys Fall from Trees'

Today, let's delve into the story behind this idiom.

The story of Yoon-yoon the monkey falling from a tree begins now.

When I was young, I was really confident in my memorization skills.

Not only was I good at memorizing with my head, but I was also good at memorizing with my body.

That's why I often participated in school events and presentations.

I wasn't afraid to show my abilities to others.

To be honest, sometimes the results were even better than my efforts.

Because of this, my confidence overflowed.

That day was the day of the promotion exam at my Taekwondo academy.

To pass the promotion exam, I had to take several tests.

One of them was demonstrating a 'Poomsae'.

'Poomsae' refers to a set of Taekwondo techniques performed in a specific order.

As you progress to higher levels, you need to memorize more and more Poomsae.

I was confident!

Memorizing and demonstrating them was a piece of cake.

But at that very moment when I was about to demonstrate the Poomsae!

I couldn't remember anything.

Absolutely nothing.

My friends next to me continued their movements, but I couldn't move a single finger.

I just stood there blankly.

The 2 minutes felt like 2 hours.

I was so flustered that I didn't even feel embarrassed.

I had done it perfectly the day before, but I still don't know why it happened that day.

This is when you say, 'Even monkeys fall from trees'.

Luckily, I was able to retake the promotion exam and passed successfully.

And after that day, I developed a habit of practicing even more thoroughly before any important event.

Applying the Korean Idiom 'Even Monkeys Fall from Trees'

- He made a mistake then? Well, even monkeys fall from trees sometimes.

- Even monkeys fall from trees. Don't be complacent, you need to practice more.

★ You can listen to this content as a podcast on my YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/hIhn-cCZFKU

★ Download the script as a PDF file and study it!

https://buymeacoffee.com/YunyunsKoreanClass/e/248583