신선놀음에 도낏자루 썩는 줄 모른다

Korean

Etymology

Literally, “Caught up in the Daoist immortals' game [of Go], you forget that the handle of your hatchet is rotting”. From the Shuyiji by Ren Fang (lived 460—508 AD), a Chinese writer:

信安郡石室山，晉時王質伐木，至見童子數人，棋而歌，質因聽之。童子以一物與質，如棗核，質含之不覺饑。俄頃，童子謂曰：『何不去？』，質起，視斧柯爛盡，既歸，無復時人。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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信安郡石室山，晋时王质伐木，至见童子数人，棋而歌，质因听之。童子以一物与质，如枣核，质含之不觉饥。俄顷，童子谓曰：『何不去？』，质起，视斧柯烂尽，既归，无复时人。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

Xìn'ān jùn Shíshì shān, jìn shí Wáng Zhì fámù, zhì jiàn tóngzǐ shù rén, qí ér gē, zhì yīn tīng zhī. Tóngzǐ yǐ yī wù yǔ zhì, rú zǎohé, zhì hán zhī bù jiào jī. Éqǐng, tóngzǐ wèi yuē: ‘Hé bù qù?’, zhì qǐ, shì fǔkē làn jìn, jì guī, wú fù shírén. [Pinyin]

In Mount Shishi in Xin'an County during the Jin dynasty, Wang Zhi went to fell timber and chanced upon a few children who were playing the game of Go and singing. So Wang Zhi listened to them. The children gave something to Zhi which looked like a jujube seed. Zhi held it in his mouth and was no longer conscious of hunger. A little while after, the children said: "Why aren't you leaving?" Zhi stood up and saw that the handle of his hatchet had rotted away to nothing. When he went back, there was nobody from his own time left.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ɕʰinsʰʌ̹nno̞ɾɯme̞ to̞k͈it̚t͡ɕ͈a̠ɾu s͈ʌ̹ŋnɯn t͡ɕuɭ mo̞ɾɯnda̠]
• Phonetic hangul: [신선노르메 도낃짜루 썽는 줄 모른다]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	sinseonnoreume dokkitjaru sseongneun jul moreunda
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	sinseonnol'eum'e do'kkisjalu sseogneun jul moleunda
McCune–Reischauer?	sinsŏnnorŭme tokkitcharu ssŏngnŭn chul morŭnda
Yale Romanization?	sinsennol.um.ey to.kkiscalwu sseknun cwul molunta

Proverb

신선놀음에 도낏자루 썩는 줄 모른다 • (sinseonnoreum-e dokkitjaru sseongneun jul moreunda)

1. time flies when you're having fun
2. (as a warning) If one is too focused on entertainment, one might forget something important