열을 식히다.
Yeoreul sikhida.
Cool down one's anger
Phrase in 30 Seconds
Use '열을 식히다' to describe taking a moment to calm down when you're angry or frustrated.
- Means: To lower one's emotional 'heat' or temper (max 15 words)
- Used in: Arguments, stressful work situations, or after a sports match (max 15 words)
- Don't confuse: '열이 나다' which means having a physical fever (max 15 words)
Explanation at your level:
Signification
To calm down after being angry or upset.
Contexte culturel
The concept of 'Hwa' (fire/anger) is so central that 'Hwabyung' is a recognized culture-bound syndrome in the DSM. Cooling the heat is seen as a medical and social necessity. Sasang typology in Korean medicine categorizes people by their internal heat. 'So-yang' types are thought to have more 'heat' and need to 'cool down' more often. In Korean esports, 'mental management' is a key skill. Players who can't 'cool their heat' after a loss are said to have 'weak mental' (멘탈이 약하다). In hierarchical Korean offices, an inferior cannot easily tell a superior to 'cool down.' Instead, they might suggest a 'coffee break' as a polite way to allow the superior to 'cool their heat.'
Use with '잠시'
Pairing it with '잠시' (for a moment) makes it sound more natural and polite: '잠시 열 좀 식히고 올게요.'
Don't say to superiors
Telling a boss '열 좀 식히세요' (Cool your heat) can be very rude as it implies they are being overly emotional. Use '진정하세요' or suggest a break instead.
Signification
To calm down after being angry or upset.
Use with '잠시'
Pairing it with '잠시' (for a moment) makes it sound more natural and polite: '잠시 열 좀 식히고 올게요.'
Don't say to superiors
Telling a boss '열 좀 식히세요' (Cool your heat) can be very rude as it implies they are being overly emotional. Use '진정하세요' or suggest a break instead.
Literal vs Figurative
If you use it for a computer or soup, it's literal. If you use it for a person, it's figurative. The grammar remains the same!
The 'Ice' Connection
Koreans love 'Iced Americano' (Ah-Ah) even in winter. Some say it's to 'cool the heat' of daily stress!
Teste-toi
Fill in the blank with the correct form of '열을 식히다'.
너무 화가 나서 공원에 가서 (______) 왔어요.
The speaker actively went to the park to cool down, so the causative '식히다' with the object marker '을' is correct.
Which situation is MOST appropriate for using '열을 식히다'?
다음 중 '열을 식히다'를 쓰기에 가장 적절한 상황은?
The phrase is used for calming down from intense anger or agitation.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 왜 그렇게 밖에서 오래 있었어? B: 아까 부장님한테 혼나서 (______).
'~느라고' is used to explain a reason for an action that took time.
Match the phrase to the correct meaning.
1. 열을 식히다 2. 머리를 식히다
'열' (heat) is for anger, '머리' (head) is for mental fatigue.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
열 vs 머리
Questions fréquentes
14 questionsTechnically yes, but '열을 내리다' (to bring down a fever) is much more common in a medical context.
It must be '열을 식히다'. '식히다' is a causative verb that needs an object.
'열을 식히다' is for anger/agitation. '머리를 식히다' is for mental fatigue/stress from work.
The phrase itself is neutral, but telling someone else to do it can be sensitive. Use it mostly for yourself or close friends.
Yes, if someone is overly excited or 'hyped up,' you can tell them to cool down.
Yes, '열' comes from the Hanja {熱|열} meaning heat.
You say '열을 식혔어요'.
It's a bit too informal for a standard business email. Use '진정하다' or '차분하게 대응하다' instead.
Not a direct slang version of the phrase, but '빡침을 식히다' (cooling the 'ppak-chim' or extreme anger) is very casual.
Korean culture views anger as a physical fire that rises in the body.
Yes! '국이 뜨거우니 열을 좀 식히고 드세요' (The soup is hot, so cool it down before eating).
Very often! Especially during scenes where characters have a big argument.
The opposite would be '열을 올리다' (to raise the heat/to work harder or get more excited).
You cool the 'heat' (열), not the 'person' (사람). So '사람을 식히다' is wrong.
Expressions liées
머리를 식히다
similarTo take a mental break.
화를 가라앉히다
synonymTo settle one's anger.
진정하다
synonymTo calm down.
열받다
contrastTo get angry (literally 'to receive heat').
냉정을 되찾다
builds onTo regain one's cool/composure.
Où l'utiliser
After a breakup
Friend: 아직도 전 남자친구한테 화나 있어?
Me: 응, 근데 지금은 그냥 혼자 열을 식히고 싶어.
Office conflict
Manager: 김 대리님, 아까 회의 때 너무 흥분하신 것 같아요.
Employee: 죄송합니다. 잠시 열 좀 식히고 오겠습니다.
Gaming frustration
Gamer A: 아, 또 졌어! 진짜 짜증 나!
Gamer B: 야, 너 너무 열받았어. 좀 쉬면서 열 좀 식혀.
Parenting
Child: 으앙! 싫어! 안 할 거야!
Parent: 우리 아들, 방에 가서 열 좀 식히고 다시 이야기할까?
Road rage
Driver: 저 차 왜 저렇게 끼어들어! 진짜!
Passenger: 진정해. 사고 나겠어. 열 좀 식혀.
Technical issue
User: 노트북이 너무 뜨거워요. 꺼질 것 같아요.
Technician: 잠시 전원을 끄고 열을 식힌 후에 다시 켜보세요.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of your anger as a 'Hot Pot' (열). To stop it from boiling over, you need to 'Seek' (식히다) some ice.
Visual Association
Imagine a person with a literal steam engine for a head. They pull a lever, and cool blue mist sprays over the gears, making the steam disappear and the person smile.
Rhyme
화가 날 땐 멈추고, 열을 식히고! (When angry, stop and cool the heat!)
Story
Min-su was playing a video game and lost. He was so angry his face turned red like a tomato. His mom said, 'Min-su, go to the balcony and cool your heat!' Min-su stood in the cold wind, his red face turned normal, and he felt much better.
Word Web
Défi
Next time you feel a tiny bit frustrated, say to yourself in Korean: '열을 식히자' (Let's cool the heat) and take three deep breaths.
In Other Languages
Cool off / Blow off steam
Korean specifically uses 'heat' (열) as the object.
Enfriar los ánimos
Spanish uses 'ánimos' (spirits) instead of 'heat'.
Calmer le jeu
French focuses on the 'game' (situation) rather than the internal temperature.
Dampf ablassen
Korean '식히다' is more about quiet cooling than 'letting off' steam.
頭を冷やす (Atama o hiyasu)
Korean can use 'heat' (열) or 'head' (머리), but 'heat' is more common for pure anger.
تهديئة الأعصاب (Tahdi'at al-a'sab)
Focuses on nerves rather than temperature.
消气 (Xiāoqì)
Focuses on 'Qi' (gas/energy) rather than 'heat'.
Esfriar a cabeça
Like Japanese, it focuses on the head specifically.
Easily Confused
Both use '열' (heat).
열이 나다 is a physical fever; 열을 식히다 is emotional cooling.
Confusing the intransitive and causative forms.
Use '식다' for things (soup, love) and '식히다' for actions (cooling something down).
FAQ (14)
Technically yes, but '열을 내리다' (to bring down a fever) is much more common in a medical context.
It must be '열을 식히다'. '식히다' is a causative verb that needs an object.
'열을 식히다' is for anger/agitation. '머리를 식히다' is for mental fatigue/stress from work.
The phrase itself is neutral, but telling someone else to do it can be sensitive. Use it mostly for yourself or close friends.
Yes, if someone is overly excited or 'hyped up,' you can tell them to cool down.
Yes, '열' comes from the Hanja {熱|열} meaning heat.
You say '열을 식혔어요'.
It's a bit too informal for a standard business email. Use '진정하다' or '차분하게 대응하다' instead.
Not a direct slang version of the phrase, but '빡침을 식히다' (cooling the 'ppak-chim' or extreme anger) is very casual.
Korean culture views anger as a physical fire that rises in the body.
Yes! '국이 뜨거우니 열을 좀 식히고 드세요' (The soup is hot, so cool it down before eating).
Very often! Especially during scenes where characters have a big argument.
The opposite would be '열을 올리다' (to raise the heat/to work harder or get more excited).
You cool the 'heat' (열), not the 'person' (사람). So '사람을 식히다' is wrong.
