Expression of the Week

Yeon-du ：넌 농구가 그렇게 좋냐? 

Do you like basketball that much? 

Dong-jae：어, 농구 완전 좋지. 

Yeah. I love basketball.  

Yeon-du：아휴, 그래~ 좋은데 어쩌겠냐. 하똥, 나 이 학교에 왜 왔을까? 

Yeah. What can you do if you like it so much? Hey, why do you think I came to this school?  

Dong-jae ：나 너 따라 왔는데? 

I followed you here. 

Yeon-du ：나...　이 학교에서 리얼킹 없이 버틸 수 있을까?　 

아, 숨 막혀. 숨 막혀. 

Do you think I’ll survive here without Real King?   

Ah, I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.  

Dong-jae :  에고. 

 Oh dear.

---

숨막혀 

숨 – breath 

막히다 – to be blocked, closed or clogged, chocked or stuffed  

Casual – 숨막혀

Semi-polite/polite – 숨막혀요 

>>[숨막혀] literally means that one’s breath has been blocked, so they cannot breathe. The expression can be used when someone is facing a really difficult situation and feels a lot of pressure thus, feels like they are suffocating.  

e.g. 선생님이 너무 간섭을 많이 해. 숨막혀. à My teacher meddles in our business too much. I feel like I’m suffocating. 

>>However, the expression can also be used when you’ve seen something so beautiful or were so surprised that you forgot to breathe. 

e.g. 너무 아름다워서 숨이 막혔어 à It was so beautiful I didn’t breath (it was breathtakingly beautiful).