Korean Lessons ᚛ Level 8 - Advanced Korean #1 (Lessons 211 to 240) ᚛ Lesson 214 - Exception and generality in Korean [치고]
Exception and generality in Korean [치고]
The particle 치고 comes from the verb 치다 in the sense of "to count as", "to consider as". Attached to a noun, it takes it as a reference category and announces a judgment that departs from it. It has two uses that look opposite but stem from the same idea. With an affirmative sentence, 치고 marks the exception: "for a…", "considering…" (농구 선수치고 키가 작아요, "he's short for a basketball player"). With a negative sentence, it states a generality without exception: "there is no… who doesn't…", that is "all…" (부모치고 자식을 사랑하지 않는 부모는 없어요, "there's no parent who doesn't love their child").
"For a…", the exception with [Noun]치고(는)
The noun refers to a category of people, things or situations, and what follows contradicts what one would normally expect from that category:
[Noun]치고(는) [Judgment contrary to expectation]
The judgment is often favorable ("he does well for a beginner"), sometimes unfavorable ("it's quiet for a downtown area"). The form 치고는, with the contrast particle, puts more stress on the gap and is the most common in speech. After a verb, we go through the nominalization in -(으)ㄴ 것: 처음 해 본 것치고, "for a first time".
재현이는 농구 선수치고 키가 작고 덩치도 작은 편에 속했어요.
→ For a basketball player, Jaehyun was on the short side and not very big.
마크는 한국에 온 지 얼마 안 된 외국인치고 한국의 문화와 한국인만의 특성에 대해서 잘 알고 있는 것 같아.
→ For a foreigner who arrived in Korea not long ago, Mark seems to know Korean culture and the particular traits of Koreans well.
큰 도시의 번화가치고 거리에서 사람들을 찾아보기 어려울 정도로 조용했습니다.
→ For the downtown of a big city, it was so quiet that you could hardly see anyone in the street.
제대로 된 음악교육을 받지 않은 사람치고 음색도 좋고 나무랄 데 없이 잘하는데요?
→ For someone who never had proper musical training, he has a nice tone and sings flawlessly, doesn't he?
지금 집안 사정이 어렵고 우울하다고 말하는 사람치고 너무 멀쩡한 것같이 보였어.
→ For someone who says things are hard and depressing at home right now, he looked perfectly fine.
지금까지 한 번도 스노보드를 타본 적이 없는 것치고 안 넘어지고 잘 타는 것 같아요.
→ For someone who has never snowboarded before, you don't fall and you ride pretty well.
우리는 서로 알고 지낸 지 얼마 안 된 것치고 정말 오래된 친구 사이 같아. 네가 없으면 이제 너무 허전해.
→ For people who haven't known each other long, we really feel like old friends. Now I feel so empty without you.
When the gap is disappointing
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"All…", the generality with [Noun]치고 + negation
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Exercises
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