"Those Who Should Catch Thieves Collude With Them"... 'Myoseodongcheo' Chosen as Four-Character Idiom of the Year

'Cats and Mice Together': Critique of the LH Scandal and More
"Those Who Should Oversee Are Colluding with the Self-Interested"
Second Place: Ingwonmapip, "Both People and Horses Are Exhausted"

The four-character idiom of the year, "Myoseodongcheo" (猫鼠同處), was calligraphed in semi-cursive script by Jeong Sangok, former president of Dongbang Culture University Graduate School. (Provided by Professor Newspaper)

[Asia Economy, reporter Han Jinju] University professors have selected "Myoseodongcheo" (猫鼠同處) as the Four-Character Idiom of the Year for 2021. Literally meaning "cats and mice together," this idiom is used to describe a situation where those who should be catching thieves are actually colluding with them. The selection is intended as a critique of the LH scandal, ongoing political conflicts, and a series of real estate issues.

On December 12, Professor Newspaper announced that "Myoseodongcheo" was chosen as the idiom of the year, receiving 29.2% of the votes in a survey conducted from November 26 to December 2 among 880 university professors nationwide.

"Myoseodongcheo" originates from the "Old Book of Tang" and the "New Book of Tang," historical records from China's Tang dynasty. It appears alongside the phrase "Myoseodongyu" (猫鼠同乳), which describes a local soldier witnessing a cat and a mouse nursing from the same source in his home. While mice dig holes and steal grain, and cats are supposed to catch mice, the idiom refers to officials colluding in corruption and wrongdoing.

In the "Old Book of Tang," a man named Jo Gwi from Nakju witnessed a cat and a mouse nursing from the same source and not harming each other. He presented them to the emperor. While most officials considered it an auspicious sign, only Choi Ubo lamented, saying, "These creatures have lost their senses."

Choi Jae-mok, a professor at Yeungnam University who recommended the idiom, explained, "Disputes over fairness and suspicions about the standards of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches have been constant everywhere, including between the ruling and opposition parties. We have repeatedly witnessed those who are supposed to strictly oversee state affairs or enforce the law fairly becoming complicit with those seeking personal gain, thereby getting involved or entangled in such interests."

The main reason professors supported "Myoseodongcheo" was the perception that "those in power are colluding to commit corruption." A humanities professor in his 70s cited Dasan Jeong Yak-yong's allegorical poem "Inohaeng," pointing out, "When those who enforce discipline and those who are disciplined collude, there is nothing they won't do." Another humanities professor in his 60s remarked, "Just as the saying goes, 'birds of a feather flock together,' the behavior of political leaders, regardless of party affiliation, differs only in appearance and is driven more by self-interest than by public good."

Some professors chose "Myoseodongcheo" out of concern for next year's presidential election. A professor in his 40s commented, "It feels like a competition to see who is less corrupt, and I am filled with doubts about the morality of those stepping forward as leaders." A sociology professor in his 60s assessed, "We are in a situation where we must entrust the nation's future to the relatively less bad candidate."

The idiom with the second-highest number of votes in this year's poll was "Ingwonmapip" (人困馬乏), meaning "both people and horses are exhausted," which received 21.1% of the vote. Seo Hyuk, a professor of Korean Language Education at Ewha Womans University who recommended "Ingwonmapip," compared the pandemic to Liu Bei's journey in exile, stating, "This year, both the people and the country have been worn out from trying to avoid COVID-19." Other idioms that followed included "Ijeontugu" (泥田鬪狗, dogs fighting in the mud) and "Gakjugugum" (刻舟求劍, marking the side of a boat to find a sword dropped in the river later).

The Four-Character Idiom of the Year selected by Professor Newspaper in 2020 was "Asitabhi" (我是他非), meaning "I am right and others are wrong," and in 2019, it was "Gongmyeongjijo" (共命之鳥), which refers to "a bird with two heads sharing one body."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.