What does 슬픔 mean?
슬픔 (seul-peum) means: Sadness, sorrow, or grief.
Speakers reach for this word when experiencing emotional pain, distress, or a lingering sense of mental suffering caused by loss, failure, or separation. It commonly combines with verbs of sharing, overcoming, and becoming engulfed, appearing in expressions like 슬픔을 나누다, 슬픔을 이기다, 슬픔에 잠기다, and 슬픔에 젖다. When a person faces a significant loss, such as the death of a parent or the end of a romantic relationship, speakers use it to describe their state of grief or the tears that follow. It also pairs with descriptors of intensity, such as deep sadness (깊은 슬픔).
Depending on the context, expressing this feeling can invite shared empathy and reassurance, as captured in the familiar saying that sorrow halved when shared.
Depending on the context, expressing this feeling can invite shared empathy and reassurance, as captured in the familiar saying that sorrow halved when shared.
Other sides of 슬픔
◆ melancholic aesthetics — Speakers turn to this when expressing deep emotional states, particularly in literature, lyrics, and art to describe a beautiful or aestheticized sorrow rather than raw pain. It frequently combines with states of immersion or quiet endurance, such as being soaked or sinking into the feeling. Writers and speakers use it to frame emotional suffering as a profound, reflective experience rather than a fleeting distress. The recorded examples show speakers discussing the sharing of such sorrow or the lingering weight of mental pain following loss.
In literary and artistic contexts, this can feel less like an acute crisis and more like a cultivated, heavy atmosphere that invites quiet contemplation.
◆ existential resignation — Speakers use this term when describing a sustained mental burden or enduring suffering following a significant loss or failure. It frequently appears alongside expressions of being submerged or soaked in distress, such as 슬픔에 잠기다 and 슬픔에 젖다, as well as actions of overcoming or sharing the weight with others. The examples show people grappling with the departure of a parent, the collapse of a business, or the end of a romantic relationship, often retreating into silence or seeking out a companion to lessen the load.
In moments of quiet contemplation, this can carry the weight of an unchangeable reality rather than a temporary sadness, suggesting a permanent shift in one's life circumstances.
In literary and artistic contexts, this can feel less like an acute crisis and more like a cultivated, heavy atmosphere that invites quiet contemplation.
◆ existential resignation — Speakers use this term when describing a sustained mental burden or enduring suffering following a significant loss or failure. It frequently appears alongside expressions of being submerged or soaked in distress, such as 슬픔에 잠기다 and 슬픔에 젖다, as well as actions of overcoming or sharing the weight with others. The examples show people grappling with the departure of a parent, the collapse of a business, or the end of a romantic relationship, often retreating into silence or seeking out a companion to lessen the load.
In moments of quiet contemplation, this can carry the weight of an unchangeable reality rather than a temporary sadness, suggesting a permanent shift in one's life circumstances.
How it's actually used
- 민준이가 아버지를 여읜 슬픔으로 인해 눈물을 흘렸다.
min-jun-i-ga a-beo-ji-reul yeo-oj-in seul-peum-euro in-hae nun-mul-eul heullyeot-da.
Minjun shed tears due to the sorrow of losing his father.
💡 Shows sadness resulting from the loss of a parent. - 그는 사업의 실패로 모든 것을 잃고 슬픔에 잠겨 있었다.
geu-neun sa-eop-ui sil-pae-ro mo-deun geot-eul il-go seul-peum-e jam-gyeo isseot-da.
He had lost everything due to the failure of his business and was sunk in sorrow.
💡 Shows sadness following business failure. - 그는 슬픔에 젖어 말을 하지 못하였다.
geu-neun seul-peum-e jeojeo mal-eul ha-ji mot-ha-yeot-da.
He was steeped in sorrow and could not speak.
💡 Shows speechlessness caused by deep sadness.