Nuance Dictionary / Social Situations
발버둥 bal-beo-dung
Chaotic, frantic physical flailing or thrashing where intense motion yields zero practical results.
What does 발버둥 mean?
발버둥 (bal-beo-dung) means: Chaotic, frantic physical flailing or thrashing where intense motion yields zero practical results.
Speakers use this to describe literal, chaotic movement such as a child sitting or lying down and kicking their legs back and forth. It applies directly to physical scrambling that gets nowhere, such as an overturned turtle trying to right itself. It commonly combines with verbs of movement and action like 치다.
This can evoke a sense of frantic helplessness or helpless frustration, drawing attention to movement that is entirely wasted.
This can evoke a sense of frantic helplessness or helpless frustration, drawing attention to movement that is entirely wasted.
How it's actually used
- 아기들의 발버둥.
a-gi-deul-ui bal-beo-dung.
The thrashing of babies.
💡 Describes the physical flailing movements of infants. - 뒤집힌 거북이 발버둥을 친다.
dwi-jip-hin geo-buk-i bal-beo-dung-eul chin-da.
An overturned turtle flails helplessly.
💡 Shows literal physical thrashing that achieves no movement. - 그는 정말 혀를 깨물며 더욱 노력했지만, 그런 발버둥도 아무 효력 없었더라고 한다.
geu-neun jeong-mal hyeo-reul kkae-mul-myeo deo-uk no-ryeok-hae-ssji-man, geu-reoun bal-beo-dung-do a-mu hyo-ryeok eop-sseot-da-go han-da.
He tried even harder, biting his tongue in the effort, but even such thrashing supposedly had no effect.
💡 Describes strenuous physical effort that ultimately proves entirely useless.
Related words in Social Situations
발 벗고 나서다 Bal beotgo naseoda발등에 불이 떨어지다 Bal-deung-e bul-i tteol-eo-ji-da발목을 잡다 balmogeul japda바늘 도둑이 소 도둑 된다 Baneul dodugi so doduk doenda발을 빼다 Bareul ppaeda