A1 Proverb Neutral

산 넘어 산.

san neomeo san.

One problem after another.

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use this when you face one problem after another, feeling like there is no end to your troubles.

  • Means: A situation where one difficulty is followed immediately by another.
  • Used in: Describing busy work weeks, exam seasons, or complex personal problems.
  • Don't confuse: It is not about physical hiking; it is purely metaphorical.
Mountain + Mountain = Never-ending struggle

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means you have many problems. When you finish one, another one comes. It is like climbing many mountains.
Use this when you face a series of difficulties. It describes a situation where one problem is solved, but another one appears immediately after, making progress feel very slow.
This idiom describes a continuous cycle of challenges. It is commonly used in professional or academic contexts to express that the workload or the number of obstacles is never-ending, requiring significant patience.
The phrase serves as a metaphor for the cumulative nature of life's hurdles. It highlights the psychological exhaustion that occurs when an individual is confronted with a sequence of setbacks, suggesting that the end of one struggle is merely the beginning of the next.
Rooted in the topographical reality of the Korean landscape, this proverb functions as a linguistic marker for 'serial adversity'. It is employed to articulate the frustration of recursive problem-solving, where the resolution of a primary obstacle fails to alleviate the overall burden due to the emergence of secondary complications.
This proverb exemplifies the intersection of environmental determinism and idiomatic expression. By mapping the physical experience of traversing a mountainous region onto the abstract domain of human endeavor, it provides a succinct, culturally resonant framework for discussing the 'Sisyphusian' nature of persistent, multi-layered challenges in both personal and professional spheres.

Bedeutung

Describes a situation where difficulties keep arising consecutively.

🌍

Kultureller Hintergrund

Mountains cover 70% of Korea, making this a deeply ingrained cultural metaphor for life. Similar idioms exist in China and Japan, reflecting the shared mountainous geography and Confucian values of perseverance.

💡

Use it for work

It's the perfect phrase for when you have a huge to-do list.

Bedeutung

Describes a situation where difficulties keep arising consecutively.

💡

Use it for work

It's the perfect phrase for when you have a huge to-do list.

Teste dich selbst

Complete the phrase.

문제 하나를 해결했더니 또 다른 문제가 생겼다. 정말 ____이다.

✓ Richtig! ✗ Nicht ganz. Richtige Antwort: 산 넘어 산

The correct idiom is '산 넘어 산', meaning one difficulty after another.

🎉 Ergebnis: /1

Visuelle Lernhilfen

Häufig gestellte Fragen

1 Fragen

No, it is strictly for difficulties.

Verwandte Redewendungen

🔄

첩첩산중

synonym

Mountains piled on mountains

🔗

설상가상

similar

Snow on top of frost

Wo du es verwendest

💻

Office Frustration

A: 오늘 업무가 정말 산 넘어 산이네요.

B: 그러게요, 끝이 안 보여요.

neutral
📚

Exam Season

Student: 시험 공부가 산 넘어 산이야. 언제 다 하지?

informal

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Imagine a hiker reaching a peak, only to see a bigger mountain behind it. That's your 'mountain after mountain'!

Visual Association

A cartoon character climbing a mountain, reaching the top, and looking at a massive wall of mountains behind it with a tired face.

Rhyme

산 넘어 산, 끝이 없는 난.

Story

Min-su had a bad day. First, he missed his bus. Then, he spilled coffee on his shirt. Finally, he lost his keys. He sighed and told his friend, 'It is just mountain after mountain today.'

Word Web

산 (mountain)넘다 (to cross)고비 (hurdle)난관 (difficulty)첩첩산중 (idiom)연속 (series)

Herausforderung

Write down three things that went wrong today and describe your day using this phrase.

In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Llover sobre mojado

Focuses on the 'wet' state of misfortune rather than the 'height' of obstacles.

French moderate

Un malheur ne vient jamais seul

Focuses on the grouping of events rather than the sequential struggle.

German moderate

Ein Übel kommt selten allein

Lacks the visual metaphor of the mountain.

Japanese partial

泣きっ面に蜂

Focuses on the pain of the situation rather than the scale of the task.

Arabic low

مصائب قوم عند قوم فوائد

Focuses on the social perspective of misfortune.

Easily Confused

산 넘어 산. vs. 설상가상

Both describe bad situations.

Use '산 넘어 산' for tasks/work, '설상가상' for bad luck.

FAQ (1)

No, it is strictly for difficulties.

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