Nuance Dictionary / Grammar
ㄹ/을 지경이다 R/eul jigeong-ida
To be so physically shattered, exhausted, or in pain that you are literally on the verge of collapsing.
What does ㄹ/을 지경이다 mean?
ㄹ/을 지경이다 (R/eul jigeong-ida) means: To be so physically shattered, exhausted, or in pain that you are literally on the verge of collapsing.
Textbooks love to translate this dryly as 'to the point of,' but natives use it as dramatic, vivid hyperbole to paint a picture of total bodily wreckage. It’s what you say when your legs have turned to lead after a 12-hour hike or when you’ve been hunched over a desk until your spine feels like it's snapping. Learners usually underuse it, sticking to boring words like 피곤하다, missing out on the darkly humorous, theatrical suffering that makes native Korean sound so expressive.
Other sides of ㄹ/을 지경이다
◆ Emotional Boiling Point — Textbooks love to reduce this to 'on the verge of,' but natives use it when their internal emotional pressure cooker is hissing and about to blow. It isn't just about being sad or angry; it's that specific, dramatic tipping point where you can feel your composure dissolving in real-time. Learners often misuse it for cold, logical probabilities, missing the heavy theatrical flair and emotional sweat that natives attach to it.
◆ Hyperbolic Comedy — When natives reach for this facet, they aren't actually suffering—they're performing stand-up in front of their friends. It's the linguistic equivalent of dramatic, back-of-the-hand-on-the-forehead fainting, used to turn minor inconveniences or ridiculous situations into epic theater. Learners usually treat it as a clinical measurement of stress, missing the wink and the smirk that turn a literal 'verge of' into a punchline.
◆ Hyperbolic Comedy — When natives reach for this facet, they aren't actually suffering—they're performing stand-up in front of their friends. It's the linguistic equivalent of dramatic, back-of-the-hand-on-the-forehead fainting, used to turn minor inconveniences or ridiculous situations into epic theater. Learners usually treat it as a clinical measurement of stress, missing the wink and the smirk that turn a literal 'verge of' into a punchline.
How it's actually used
- 야근을 너무 많이 해서 눈이 감길 지경이야.
Yageun-eul neomu mani haeseo nun-i gamgil jigeong-iya.
I've been doing so much overtime that my eyes are literally about to shut on their own.
💡 Shows how the term maps onto micro-exhaustion, like eyelids failing to stay open. - 등산하고 내려왔더니 다리가 풀려서 쓰러질 지경이에요.
Deungsanhago naeryowatdeoni dari-ga pullyeoseo sseureojil jigeong-ieyo.
I came down from the hike and my legs went so soft I'm about to collapse.
💡 Pairs with classic physical verbs like 풀리다 (to turn to jelly) to maximize the drama of exhaustion. - 너무 피곤해서 눈물 날 지경이야.
Neomu pigonhaeseo nunmul nal jigeong-iya.
I'm so exhausted I could literally burst into tears.
💡 Captures the exact psychological tipping point where pure physical fatigue morphs into emotional weeping.
Related words in Grammar
셈이다 Sem-ida설렁설렁 seolleong-seolleong우왕좌왕 Uwang-jwawang격조사 gyeok-jo-sa보조사 bo-jo-sa