알쓸신잡

King Jeongjo, considered a wise ruler of Joseon, sent numerous secret letters (eochal) to his officials. These secret letters contained expressions unimaginable from the lips of a usually solemn monarch. He wrote things like, "I'm so angry about what those scoundrels did that it's almost the fifth watch (3-5 AM) as I write this letter," and "This fellow still smells of milk and hasn't quite become a proper human." He even used the insult 'horojashik [胡種子]' (meaning bastard or rascal). Lively expressions, akin to proverbs and colloquialisms, also appeared frequently. Sentences like 'like a pheasant bitten by a dog,' 'a cake that fits the mouth,' and 'how could that person be satisfied with one spoonful and starved by one spoonful?' are found. The Korean expression 'dwijukbakjuk' (meaning jumbled or messed up), which couldn't be written in Hanja, was written in Hangul. The expression 'gaga (呵呵)' also appeared often, representing laughter, similar to 'kk' today.

Consuming excessive amounts of carrots or tangerines in a short period can lead to 'carotenemia,' where carotene accumulates in the skin via the bloodstream, causing it to turn orange. Fortunately, it naturally resolves once intake is reduced.

Einstein praised mahjong in his diary as "a far more profound and philosophical game than Western chess or bridge," and noted that he was captivated by the fun of calculating complex probabilities and combinations. Mahjong can be broadly divided into Riichi Mahjong, Chinese Official Mahjong, and Korean Mahjong, with Riichi Mahjong being the most famous. Riichi Mahjong does not use flower tiles, and features special hands like Riichi and a special rule called Furiten. Chinese Official Mahjong uses 8 flower tiles and has the no-point rule and the 8-point rule. Under the no-point rule, a player can declare a win regardless of score, while the 8-point rule requires players to form a hand worth 8 points or more. Korean Mahjong uses 4 flower tiles and only uses the manzu (bamboo) and pinzu (dot) suits. Therefore, some hands like Sanshoku Doujun (all same suit, sequential) or Chinrohto (all terminals and honors) do not exist, and the game is characterized by its extremely fast pace. If you're going to play Korean Mahjong, you might as well play a 3-player Riichi Mahjong game. Chinese Official Mahjong has clunky discarding, so Riichi Mahjong is much better.

September 28th is celebrated as Confucius's birthday in East Asia. When we think of Confucius, we usually associate him with rigid terms like "etiquette," "morality," and "order." Honestly, it can feel a bit dull. However, if you interpret the 'propriety' (禮) that Confucius spoke of as merely "behaving well," you miss the core point. Etiquette isn't a fake smile put on by someone insincere. Rather, it's a framework for relationships, developed long ago with the understanding that people's feelings can't be the same every day. Etiquette isn't a device to eliminate emotions; it's the minimum railing that prevents a relationship from completely collapsing even on days when things are strained. Anyone can be kind on a good day. What's truly important is the structure that stops us from treating others carelessly, even when our own feelings are a mess. Source: Psychology Cat Receive newsletters like this:

Wonhyo Daesa is the greatest thinker in Korean history. His writings were treated with immense respect, elevated to the status of 'commentaries' (Geumgangsamnaegyeongnon). This meant 'Wonhyo's writings would be treated like Buddhist scriptures.' This is a unique honor, reserved only for Wonhyo, signifying he reached the state of Buddhahood. However, Wonhyo was also a 'fallen monk.' He wandered the streets singing, 'Who will give me a hatchet without a handle? I want to chop down the pillar supporting the heavens. (誰許沒柯斧 我斫支天柱)' King Muyeol misunderstood this, thinking Wonhyo wished to take a noble lady as his wife and father a great son. Believing it would be beneficial for the country to have a great sage, he gave his daughter, the widowed princess of Yosok Palace, to Wonhyo. It is said that she later gave birth to Seolchong, who became one of Silla's most renowned Confucian scholars. -Samguk Yusa ? Did Wonhyo have a one-night stand with a divorced woman without getting married? What do you all think about this strange fact? Let me know in the comments. Thank you for reading my humble post.

It is true that in ancient Egyptian creation myths, the primordial god Atum or the god of fertility, Min, created the world and gods through masturbation or ejaculation. However, the story that Pharaohs actually performed masturbation naked in front of crowds to pray for the Nile flood is false. There is no mention of such an act in any records or historical materials, and the prevailing theory is that it spread because it was interpreted sensationally in the English-speaking world. There would be no reason for an Egyptian Pharaoh to intentionally do such a thing, and it would rather diminish their divine power. The most famous ancient Egyptian rulers today include Tutankhamun, Ramesses II, and Cleopatra. Tutankhamun is known as a young king who ascended the throne at age 9 and died young at 18. Ramesses II is the most famous warrior king, who left behind immense achievements such as the Battle of Kadesh and the construction of the Abu Simbel temples. Cleopatra was a queen born much later than them, and she was the last monarch and queen of ancient Egypt.

The Phonetic Alphabet, simply put, refers to the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet. It was created to avoid confusion when words are read literally. For example, D and B are easily confused, and E and C can be easily misunderstood if mispronounced. A - Alpha, B - Bravo, C - Charlie, D - Delta, E - Echo, F - Foxtrot, G - Golf, H - Hotel, I - India, J - Juliet, K - Kilo, L - Lima, M - Mike, N - November, O - Oscar, P - Papa, Q - Quebec, R - Romeo, S - Sierra, T - Tango, U - Uniform, V - Victor, W - Whiskey, X - X-ray, Y - Yankee, Z - Zulu It's so charming that Romeo and Juliet are together. How many of these did you know? I knew up to Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta... For reference, Alpha, Omega, and Beta are from the Greek alphabet and are unrelated to the Phonetic Alphabet.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of China's Four Great Classical Novels (Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Journey to the West, Jin Ping Mei), clearly features the Oath of the Peach Garden. However, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a novel based on the historical text, Records of the Three Kingdoms. The Oath of the Peach Garden does not appear in the official historical records of the Three Kingdoms. While it's true that Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were close like sworn brothers, this was a plot device added for narrative interest in the novel and does not appear in the historical records. Since the content is short today, let's also look at some representative Chinese idioms that appear in the Three Kingdoms. Sāngāo chǔliè (Liu Bei visits Zhuge Liang three times; implies patience and effort in welcoming talented individuals) Yìn chānmǎ sù (To behead Ma Su with tears; means to uphold order by punishing a subordinate according to the law) Shuǐyúzhījiāo (Like water and fish; refers to an inseparable and intimate relationship) Nánxíngnánzhě (Difficult to call him older brother, difficult to call him younger brother; describes a relationship where it's hard to distinguish who is superior) Fúlóngfèngzhuī (A hidden dragon and a phoenix chick; refers to outstanding talents who have not yet revealed themselves) Gǔyǒuzhīcè (A stratagem that involves sacrificing oneself)

Potassium cyanide is a poison that everyone knows, but what's truly absurd about this name is that it's neither English nor Chinese characters, but a strangely merged word. 'Cheongsan' (청산, 青酸) literally means blue acid, and 'Gari' (가리) comes from Japanese people who couldn't pronounce potassium, taking the pronunciation from the Chinese characters 加里 (Kari). This term has been used as 'Cheongsan-gari' (청산가리) since a certain period of Japanese colonial rule. Its official name is Potassium Cyanide. When will we reach an era where the remnants of colonial-era language disappear?

The offspring of a dog is a puppy. The offspring of a cow is a calf. The offspring of a chicken is a chick. The offspring of a mackerel is a young mackerel. The offspring of a pheasant is a 'kkeobeong'. So, what is the offspring of a cat? The answer is that 'cat' itself means kitten. Then, what do you call the mother and father of a kitten? They are called 'Goe'. 'Goe-bal-gae-bal' originated from here. 'Goe-bal-gae-bal' means writing something carelessly. Originally, only the word 'Goe-bal-gae-bal' was recognized, but since 'Gae-bal-sae-bal' was also used frequently, it was recognized as a plural standard word in 2011. Then why did the word 'Goe' disappear and only the word 'cat' remain? The reason is unknown. Perhaps it's because 'Goe' is so cute that it always looks like a baby. Or maybe the word 'Goe' sounds strange. But cats are cats, whatever they are. All 'Goe' are lovely. So, wouldn't it be okay to just call them cats? Of course, I'm a dog person. But I admit that cats are cute.