Nuance Dictionary / Luck, Fate, & Superstition
팔자 pal-jja
One's destiny or fate, often used with a sigh about one's inherently difficult or lucky life
What does 팔자 mean?
팔자 (pal-jja) means: One's destiny or fate, often used with a sigh about one's inherently difficult or lucky life.
Used to resign to one's fate. 'This is just my 팔자.'
How it's actually used
- 내 팔자에 무슨 호강을 누리겠다고 이걸 하고 있나 몰라.
nae paljajeun museun hogang-eul nurigetdago igeol hago itna molla.
Who knows what kind of luxury my fate thinks I'm living to be doing this.
💡 A classic self-deprecating sigh about one's hard lot in life. - 팔자 좋게 낮부터 낮잠 자는 거 부럽다.
palja jotge natbuteo natjam janeun geo bureopda.
I'm jealous of you taking a nap in the middle of the day with such a lucky, easygoing fate.
💡 Used ironically or enviously to describe someone living a stress-free life. - 내 팔자는 왜 이렇게 사서 고생하는 팔자인지 원.
nae paljaneun wae ireoke saseo gosaenghaneun paljainji won.
Sigh, why is my destiny always to bring hard labor upon myself?
💡 Often used with a sigh to lament one's inherently difficult life path.
Related words in Luck, Fate, & Superstition
터(를) 잡다 teo-reul-jap-da액땜(하다) aek-ttaem-ha-da천생연분 cheon-saeng-yeon-bun재수(가) 없다 jae-su-ga-eop-da징크스 jing-keu-seu