A1 Idiom तटस्थ

발목을 잡다.

463

Hold someone back.

Phrase in 30 Seconds

When something 'grabs your ankle,' it stops you from moving forward toward your goals.

  • Means: To hinder or prevent someone from succeeding.
  • Used in: Work setbacks, personal habits, or competitive situations.
  • Don't confuse: It's not about physical tripping, but metaphorical delay.
🏃‍♂️ + 🤝 (at the ankle) = 🛑 Delay/Failure

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means 'to stop someone from going forward.' Imagine you are running, and someone grabs your ankle. You cannot move! In Korean, we use this when a problem stops your work or your study. It is a very common and easy way to talk about problems.
‘발목을 잡다’ is an idiom used when something hinders your progress. Literally, it means ‘to grab the ankle.’ If you want to succeed but a bad habit or a lack of money stops you, that thing is ‘grabbing your ankle.’ It is often used with the particle ‘이/가’ for the cause of the problem.
This intermediate idiom describes a situation where an external factor or internal weakness prevents someone from achieving their goals. It’s frequently used in business contexts to describe market conditions or in personal life to discuss obstacles. The passive form, ‘발목이 잡히다,’ is also very common when you feel like a victim of circumstances.
In more advanced contexts, ‘발목을 잡다’ implies a persistent or nagging issue that thwarts momentum. It’s not just a simple hurdle; it’s something that anchors you to your current position. You’ll see this in editorial writing regarding economic stagnation or political scandals that impede a candidate’s campaign progress. It carries a nuance of frustration and being 'stuck.'
This idiomatic expression functions as a sophisticated metaphorical tool to analyze systemic or personal impediments. Linguistically, it highlights the Korean tendency to use body-part metaphors to describe abstract social dynamics. In C1 level discourse, one might discuss how 'structural inequalities grab the ankle of social mobility,' moving beyond simple personal examples to abstract societal critiques.
From a cognitive linguistic perspective, ‘발목을 잡다’ instantiates the 'Life is a Journey' metaphor, where progress is physical movement and obstacles are physical restraints. Mastery at the C2 level involves navigating the subtle distinction between this and related idioms like ‘찬물을 끼얹다’ (to throw cold water on). It requires an intuitive grasp of when an obstacle is an 'ankle-grabber' (a persistent drag) versus a 'stumbling block' or a 'dead end.'

मतलब

To hinder or prevent someone from progressing or succeeding.

🌍

सांस्कृतिक पृष्ठभूमि

In Korean corporate culture, '발목을 잡다' is often used to describe how older, rigid regulations hinder the growth of new startups. The idiom is a direct reference to Ssireum wrestling. Grabbing the ankle is a defensive move to prevent a throw. Korean parents often worry that a child's 'weak subject' (like Math) will 'grab the ankle' of their overall university entrance exam score. Villains often 'grab the ankle' of the protagonist by revealing a secret from their past just as they are about to succeed.

💡

Use with '제' (My)

When talking about your own problems, '제 발목을 잡아요' sounds very natural and humble.

⚠️

Don't use for physical pain

If you actually twisted your ankle, say '발목을 삐었어요.'

मतलब

To hinder or prevent someone from progressing or succeeding.

💡

Use with '제' (My)

When talking about your own problems, '제 발목을 잡아요' sounds very natural and humble.

⚠️

Don't use for physical pain

If you actually twisted your ankle, say '발목을 삐었어요.'

🎯

Passive Voice

Use '발목이 잡히다' when you want to sound like you are the victim of a situation you can't control.

💬

News Context

Listen for this phrase in Korean news about the economy; it's almost always there!

खुद को परखो

Fill in the blank with the correct form of the idiom.

어제 너무 늦게 자서 오늘 아침에 피곤함이 제 (______) 잡았어요.

✓ सही! ✗ बिलकुल नहीं। सही जवाब: 발목을

The idiom for hindering progress is '발목을 잡다.'

Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?

Choose the natural sentence:

✓ सही! ✗ बिलकुल नहीं। सही जवाब: 시험 공부를 안 해서 성적이 제 발목을 잡았어요.

The idiom is used for obstacles (bad grades) preventing progress.

Complete the dialogue.

가: 이번 프로젝트 왜 포기했어? 나: 예산 부족이 계속 (______).

✓ सही! ✗ बिलकुल नहीं। सही जवाब: 발목을 잡아서요

'~아서/어서' is used here to provide a reason for the failure.

Match the situation to the meaning of '발목을 잡다'.

Situation: A politician's old scandal is revealed during an election.

✓ सही! ✗ बिलकुल नहीं। सही जवाब: Past mistake hindering progress

Scandals are classic 'ankle-grabbers' in political contexts.

🎉 स्कोर: /4

विज़ुअल लर्निंग टूल्स

Active vs Passive

Active (잡다)
비가 발목을 잡다 Rain holds me back
Passive (잡히다)
발목이 잡히다 To be held back

अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल

12 सवाल

Yes, but be careful. Saying a person is grabbing your ankle implies they are sabotaging you.

Yes, it almost always refers to a hindrance or an obstacle.

'방해하다' is a general verb for 'to disturb.' '발목을 잡다' is more idiomatic and implies a persistent drag on progress.

Yes! It's a cute and funny way to say your pet is keeping you from leaving the house.

Very often. It describes market factors or lack of resources.

Use the passive form: '발목이 잡혔어요.'

No, it's a standard idiom used in both formal and informal Korean.

Usually no, unless that good thing is preventing you from doing something even better.

Abstract nouns like '과거' (past), '돈' (money), and '부상' (injury).

Not necessarily. It can be an accidental hindrance or a systemic one.

Yes, '교통 체증이 제 발목을 잡았어요' is perfectly natural.

The word '발목' is native Korean, but the concept is often written as '足頸' in academic texts, though the idiom itself is always in Hangul.

संबंधित मुहावरे

🔗

발을 묶다

similar

To tie one's feet

🔗

찬물을 끼얹다

similar

To throw cold water on

🔄

걸림돌이 되다

synonym

To become a stumbling block

🔗

앞길을 막다

similar

To block the path ahead

🔗

도움을 주다

contrast

To give help

कहाँ इस्तेमाल करें

💼

At the Office

Manager: 김 대리, 보고서 다 됐나요?

Employee: 죄송합니다. 데이터 분석이 발목을 잡아서 좀 늦어지고 있습니다.

formal
📱

Talking about Habits

Friend A: 너 요즘 왜 운동 안 해?

Friend B: 스마트폰 중독이 내 발목을 잡아. 밤에 잠을 못 자거든.

informal
📈

Economic News

Anchor: 오늘의 경제 소식입니다. 유가 상승이 수출의 발목을 잡고 있습니다.

formal
⚽

Sports Commentary

Commentator: 손흥민 선수, 수비수에게 발목을 잡혔나요? 아, 반칙입니다!

neutral
🎤

Job Interview

Interviewer: 본인의 단점이 무엇이라고 생각합니까?

Applicant: 가끔 완벽주의가 제 업무 속도의 발목을 잡기도 하지만, 이를 극복하려 노력 중입니다.

formal
💔

Dating/Relationships

Person A: 왜 그 사람이랑 헤어졌어?

Person B: 그 사람의 집착이 내 자유의 발목을 잡는 것 같았어.

informal

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of a 'Ball' and a 'Mog' (mugger) grabbing your ankle. The 'Ball-Mog' stops you from running!

Visual Association

Visualize a runner in a business suit sprinting toward a finish line labeled 'SUCCESS,' but a giant hand emerging from a puddle labeled 'PAST MISTAKES' is firmly gripping their ankle.

Rhyme

발목을 잡으면, 앞으로 못 가요! (If you grab the ankle, you can't go forward!)

Story

Min-su was the fastest runner in school. One day, a small pebble got in his shoe. He ignored it. By the final race, the pain from that 'pebble' (his past neglect) literally 'grabbed his ankle,' and he lost. Now, whenever he forgets his homework, he says the 'pebble' is grabbing his ankle again.

Word Web

방해 (hindrance)장애물 (obstacle)지연 (delay)실패 (failure)과거 (past)습관 (habit)속박 (restraint)

चैलेंज

Write down one thing that 'grabbed your ankle' this morning (e.g., a late bus, a broken phone) and say it out loud in Korean.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Poner la zancadilla

Spanish focuses on the act of tripping, Korean on the act of holding.

French moderate

Mettre des bâtons dans les roues

French is more about external sabotage than internal weaknesses.

German moderate

Jemandem Steine in den Weg legen

German obstacles are passive (stones), Korean is active (grabbing).

Japanese high

足を引っ張る (Ashi o hipparu)

Japanese 'pulling' vs Korean 'grabbing'—very similar nuance.

Arabic partial

وضع العصا في المربط (Wada' al-'asa fi al-marbat)

Arabic uses more varied metaphors depending on the region.

Chinese high

拖后腿 (Tuō hòutuǐ)

Chinese specifically emphasizes 'dragging' from behind.

Korean high

발목을 잡다

N/A

Portuguese partial

Cortar as asas

Portuguese focuses on the loss of ability to fly, Korean on the loss of ability to run.

Easily Confused

발목을 잡다. बनाम 발을 빼다

Both involve the foot/leg.

Think of '빼다' (pull out) as escaping or quitting, while '잡다' (grab) is being held back.

발목을 잡다. बनाम 발을 벗고 나서다

Involves the feet.

This means to help actively (barefoot), which is the opposite of hindering.

अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल (12)

Yes, but be careful. Saying a person is grabbing your ankle implies they are sabotaging you.

Yes, it almost always refers to a hindrance or an obstacle.

'방해하다' is a general verb for 'to disturb.' '발목을 잡다' is more idiomatic and implies a persistent drag on progress.

Yes! It's a cute and funny way to say your pet is keeping you from leaving the house.

Very often. It describes market factors or lack of resources.

Use the passive form: '발목이 잡혔어요.'

No, it's a standard idiom used in both formal and informal Korean.

Usually no, unless that good thing is preventing you from doing something even better.

Abstract nouns like '과거' (past), '돈' (money), and '부상' (injury).

Not necessarily. It can be an accidental hindrance or a systemic one.

Yes, '교통 체증이 제 발목을 잡았어요' is perfectly natural.

The word '발목' is native Korean, but the concept is often written as '足頸' in academic texts, though the idiom itself is always in Hangul.

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