English through Mythology – Mount Chiak (치악산)

Mount Chiak and the Grateful Pheasant: Vocabulary

치악산과 은혜 갚은 꿩

Today’s stories ( 오늘의 이야기 ):

Today, you will hear three stories from Mount Chiak.

Story number:

Title: Brief Summary (요약):

1 The Grateful Pheasant

(은혜 갚은 꿩)

A woodcutter (나무꾼) saves some baby pheasants by killing a snake. Later, the snake’s wife captures the woodcutter. The baby pheasants’ mother saves the woodcutter by ringing the temple bell.

2 The Baker and the Three Pagodas

(제빵업자와 세개 탑)

A baker (제빵업자) from Wonju dreams that he should build three pagodas (탑) in three years. He builds the pagodas on top of Mount Chiak (치악산 꼭대기에서). The pagodas fall down, but he re-builds them.

3 The Scholar and the King

(학자와 왕)

Lee Song-gye invites Weon Cheon-seok, a famous scholar (학자), to become the first minister of the Joseon dynasty. The famous scholar refuses three times. Lee Song-gye erects a monument to the scholar.

Vocabulary list:

1. The Grateful Pheasant:

pheasant = 꿩 snake = 뱀

woodcutter = 나무꾼 bell = 종

temple = 사찰 Mount Chiak = 치악산

2. The Baker and the Three Pagodas:

baker = 제방업자 pagoda = 탑

dream = 꿈 collapse = 무너지다

re-build = 개축하다

3. The Scholar and the King:

boulder = 큰 자갈 scholar = 학자

founder = 설립자 Joseon dynasty = 조선 왕조