Nuance Dictionary / Relief
가슴을 쓸어내리다 ga-seum-eul sseul-eo-nae-ri-da
To stroke your chest in relief after a scare
What does 가슴을 쓸어내리다 mean?
가슴을 쓸어내리다 (ga-seum-eul sseul-eo-nae-ri-da) means: To stroke your chest in relief after a scare.
A physical gesture turned into a phrase — the hand-on-chest motion people actually make after a jump scare or a close call. Watching your toddler almost run into the street, then grab your hand instead, is a '가슴을 쓸어내리다' moment.
🎙️ 가슴을 쓸어내리다는 표기 그대로 읽지 않아요 — 실제로는 [가스믈 쓰러내리다]로 소리나요 (연음법칙). 발음 연습하기 →
How it's actually used
- 아이를 하마터면 잃어버릴 뻔해서 가슴을 쓸어내렸다.
aireul hamateomyeon il-eobeoril ppeonhaeseo gaseumeul sseul-eonaeryeotda.
I almost lost track of my child, so I stroked my chest in relief.
💡 Used for genuinely terrifying near-misses. - 사고가 날 뻔한 순간 운전자가 급정거를 해서 모두 가슴을 쓸어내렸다.
sagoga nal ppeonhan sun-gan unjeonjaga geupjeonggeoreul haeseo modu gaseumeul sseul-eonaeryeotda.
The driver hit the brakes abruptly just before an accident, making everyone stroke their chests in relief.
💡 Often used to describe a group's shared reaction to danger. - 아이가 갑자기 도로로 뛰어들어서 놀란 가슴을 쓸어내렸다.
ai-ga gapjagi dororo ttwieodeureoseo nollan gaseumeul sseureonaeryeotda.
A child suddenly dashed into the road, so I stroked my chest in relief after the scare.
💡 Used in situations involving sudden shock or near-accidents.
Related words in Relief
시름을 덜다 si-reum-eul deol-da위기를 넘기다 wi-gi-reul neom-gi-da진정되다 jin-jeong-doe-da걱정을 덜다 geok-jeong-eul deol-da다행이다 da-haeng-i-da