Korean Reading 300 - 101

Hi, everyone. This is the one hundred and first lecture of Korean Reading 300. The paragraphs of the intermediate section, which is composed of 101 to 200, have rather long sentences. So, they seem to be kind of tricky, but don’t worry, I will explain them in great detail. All right, let’s start with the first sentence of the one hundred and first paragraph.

The first sentence is 45억년이 된 지구에서 우리의 존재의 범위를 파악하기 위한 효과적인 방법은 간단한 실험을 수행하는 것일 것이다. An effective way of grasping the scope of our existence on the four and a half billion-year-old Earth would be to conduct a simple experiment. 45[sa-sib-o]억년 is ‘four and a half billion years’. As we Koreans have had a different numerical digit system, the unit, 억 is the same as ‘a hundred million’, and the letter, 년 is ‘a year’. And the letter, 이 된 indicates ‘how old it is’, and 지구 is ‘Earth’. So, 45억년이 된 지구 is ‘the four and a half billion-year-old Earth’, right? And 에서 is the same as ‘on’ in English. And 우리의 is ‘our’, and 존재 is ‘existence’, and 의 is a genitive case. And 범위 is ‘scope’, and 를 is the objective case, and 파악하기 위한 came from 파악하다, which means ‘to grasp, or understand’, and the letter, 다 is replaced with 기 위한, which means ‘for the purpose of’, and this functions as the modifier of the noun behind it, 효과적인 방법. 효과적인 is an adjective and its meaning is ‘effiective’, and 방법 is a noun, and its meaning is ‘way, or method’, so 파악하기 위한 효과적인 방법 is ‘an effective way of grasping’, and 우리의 존재의 범위를 파악하기 위한 효과적인 방법 is ‘an effective way of grasping the scope of our existence’, and finally this is the whole chunk of the subject of this sentence. 45억년이 된 지구에서 우리의 존재의 범위를 파악하기 위한 효과적인 방법 is ‘an effective way of grasping the scope of our existence on the four and a half billion-year-old Earth’ This is so long that it seems to be overwhelming to get, but in Korean language, there is a very important grammatical rule, which is simpler than any other language. All the modifiers should be placed in front of the target words, which means they are never ever placed behind them. So, as you can see, the subject of this sentence, 방법 is placed to the end of this subject chunk, right? And 은 is the subjective case, and 간단한 is ‘simple’, and 실험 is ‘experiment’, and 을 is the objective case, and 수행하는 것 is the noun form of 수행하다, which means ‘to conduct, or perform, or carry out something’. And the predicate, 이다 is changed into the expression, 일 것이다. 다 is removed and ㄹ is placed under 이 and 것이다 is placed behind. This ㄹ 것이다 is an abstract expression of things, work, phenomenon, etc, so this is the same as ‘would be’. So, 간단한 실험을 수행하는 것일 것이다 is ‘would be to conduct a simple experiment’. All right, let’s put these two parts together, Okay?

45억년이 된 지구에서 우리의 존재의 범위를 파악하기 위한 효과적인 방법은 간단한 실험을 수행하는 것일 것이다. An effective way of grasping the scope of our existence on the four and a half billion-year-old Earth would be to conduct a simple experiment.

 

The second sentence is 그저 당신의 팔들을 그것들의 최대 범위까지 뻗고 그 너비를 우리 행성의 전체 역사로 그려보아라. Simply stretch your arms to their fullest extent and picture the width as the entire history of our planet. 그저 is an adverb, and its meaning is ‘without doing anything else, or just, or simply’, and 당신의 is ‘your’, and 팔 is ‘arm’, and 들 means plural, and 을 is the subjective case, and 그것들의 is ‘their’, and 최대 means ‘highest, or superlative level’, and 범위 is ‘scope, or extent’, so 최대 범위 is ‘the fullest extent’, right? And the postposition, 까지 is ‘until, or to’, so 그것들의 최대 범위까지 is ‘to their fullest extent’, and 뻗고 came from 뻗다, which means ‘to stretch’, but the letter, 다 is replaced with 고, which means ‘and’, and 그 is ‘the’, and 너비 is ‘width’, and 우리 is ‘our’, and 행성 is ‘planet’, and 의 is a genitive case. And 전체 is ‘entire’, and 역사 is ‘history’, and the postposition, 로 is ‘as’ in English. So, 우리 행성의 전체 역사 is ‘the entire history of our planet’. And the final word, 그려보아라, this is an imperative predicate, and came from 그려보다, this word has double meanings, the first one is ‘to draw’, and the second is ‘to picture in your mind’. In this sentence, by the context, this is the second one, right? So, 그저 당신의 팔들을 그것들의 최대 범위까지 뻗고 그 너비를 우리 행성의 전체 역사로 그려보아라. Simply stretch your arms to their fullest extent and picture the width as the entire history of our planet.

 

The third sentence is 이 범위에서, 한 손의 손가락 끝에서부터 다른 쪽의 손목까지의 거리가 선캄브리아대 —즉, 지구의 지각이 형성되고 원시 생명체가 처음 바다에 출현했던 기간이다. On this scale, the distance from the fingertips of one hand to the wrist of the other is Precambrian - that is, the period during which the Earth’s crust formed and primitive life first appeared in the seas. This is the longest sentence, but if you pay a little attention, and listen to me, it will not be so hard, Okay? All right, the subject and the verb of this sentence are 거리, and 이다. As you can see the subjective case, 가, the noun, 거리, which means ‘distance’, is the subject, and all the words in front of it are the modifiers as I said at the previous sentence, right? And 이다 is a predicate of being something. And 선캄브리아대 is ‘Precambrian’, and this is the complement of the verb, 이다. And the letter, 즉 is the same as ‘that is’, and 기간 is ‘period’.

So the basic frame of this sentence is blah, blah, blah 거리가 선캄브리아대, 즉 blah, blah, blah 기간이다, which means ‘the distance blah, blah, blah is Precambrian – that is, the period blah, blah, blah. All right, from now on, let’s get into the modifiers, Okay? 이 is ‘this’, and 에서 is ‘on’, so 이 범위에서 is ‘on this scale’, 한 손의 손가락 끝에서부터 is ‘from the fingertips of one hand’. 한 means ‘one’, and 손 is ‘hand’, and 의 is genitive case. And 손가락 is ‘finger’, and 끝 is ‘tip, or the end’, and 에서부터 is ‘from’, so 한 손의 손가락 끝에서부터 is ‘from the fingertips of one hand’. And 다른 쪽의 손목까지의 is ‘to the wrist of the other’. 다른 is ‘other’, and the letter, 쪽 means ‘side, or direction’, and 의 is a genitive case, and 손목 is ‘wrist’, and 까지의 is ‘to’. So, 다른 쪽의 손목까지의 is ‘to the wrist of the other’. And 지구의 지각이 형성되고 원시 생명체가 처음 바다에 출현했던, these eight words are all modifiers of the word, 기간. 지구 is ‘Earth’, and 의 is a genitive case, and 지각 is ‘crust’, and 이 is the subjective case. And 형성되고 came from 형성되다, which means ‘to form’, and as I said, the letter, 고 means ‘and’. And 원시 is ‘primitive’, and 생명체 is ‘life, or creature’, and 가 is also the subjective case. And 처음 is ‘first’, and 바다 is ‘the sea’, and 에 is ‘in’, and 출현했던 came from 출현하다, which means ‘to appear’, and 하다 is changed into 했다, which indicates the past tense, and the letter, 다 is replaced with 던 in order to modify the noun behind it, 기간. So, 지구의 지각이 형성되고 원시 생명체가 처음 바다에 출현했던 기간 is ‘the period during which the Earth’s crust formed and primitive life first appeared in the seas’. All right, let’s sum up the whole sentence. 이 범위에서, 한 손의 손가락 끝에서부터 다른 쪽의 손목까지의 거리가 선캄브리아대 —즉, 지구의 지각이 형성되고 원시 생명체가 처음 바다에 출현했던 기간이다. On this scale, the distance from the fingertips of one hand to the wrist of the other is Precambrian - that is, the period during which the Earth’s crust formed and primitive life first appeared in the seas.

 

The fourth sentence is 모든 복잡한 생명체는 한 손 거리에서 측정될 수 있다. All of complex life could be measured in the distance of one hand. 모든 is ‘all’, and 복잡한 is ‘complex’, and 생명체 is ‘life’, and 는 is the subjective case. And 한 손 거리에서, we addressed these words, right? ‘In the distance of one hand’. And 측정될 수 있다 came from 측정되다, which is the passive form of 측정하다, and its meaning is ‘to measure’, so 측정되다 is ‘to be measured’, and ㄹ 수 있다 is ‘can, or could’, so 측정될 수 있다 is ‘could be measured’. So, 모든 복잡한 생명체는 한 손 거리에서 측정될 수 있다. All of complex life could be measured in the distance of one hand.

 

The fifth sentence is 인간 생명의 측정에 관한 한, 당신이 선택한 손톱 위로 중간 결의 손톱 줄을 단 한 번 쓰는 것으로, 당신은 인류 전체 역사를 근절할 것이다. When it comes to the measurement of human life, with a single stroke of a medium grained nail file over the fingernail of your choice, you would eradicate the entire history of mankind. 인간 is ‘human’, and 생명 is as I said, ‘life’, and 의 is a genitive case, and 측정 is ‘measurement’, and 에 관한 한 is ‘when it comes to’, so 인간 생명의 측정에 관한 한 is ‘when it comes to the measurement of human life’. 당신 is ‘you’, and 선택한 came from 선택하다, which means ‘to choose’, and 손톱 is ‘fingernail’, and 위로 is ‘over’, so 당신이 선택한 손톱 위로 is ‘over the fingernail of your choice’. 중간 is ‘medium’, and 결 is ‘the grain’, and 의 is a genitive case. And 손톱 줄 is ‘nail file’, so 중간 결의 손톱 줄 is ‘a medium grained nail file’, and 단 한 번 is ‘once’, and 쓰는 것 is actually ‘to use’, but by the context, in this sentence, ‘the stroke of nail file’, right? And 으로 is the same as ‘with’, so 단 한 번 쓰는 것으로 is ‘with a single stroke of’. 인류 is ‘mankind’, and 전체 is ‘whole, or entire’, and 역사 is ‘history’, and 근절할 것이다 came from 근절하다, which means ‘to eradicate, or annihilate’. And ㄹ 것이다 is the same as ‘would’ as I said at the first sentence, right? So, 인간 생명의 측정에 관한 한, 당신이 선택한 손톱 위로 중간 결의 손톱 줄을 단 한 번 쓰는 것으로, 당신은 인류 전체 역사를 근절할 것이다. When it comes to the measurement of human life, with a single stroke of a medium grained nail file over the fingernail of your choice, you would eradicate the entire history of mankind.

 

The sixth sentence is 그러므로, 존재의 원대한 계획에서 인간들은 극미한 존재여 왔다는 것은 명백하다. Therefore, in the grand scheme of existence, it’s evident that humans have been a minute existence. 그러므로 is ‘therefore’, and 존재 is ‘existence’, and 원대한 is ‘grand’, and 계획 is ‘plan, or scheme’, and 에서 is ‘in’, so 존재의 원대한 계획에서 is ‘in the grand scheme of existence’. 인간 is ‘human’, and 들 means plural, and 은 is the subjective case. 극미한 is an adjective, and its meaning is ‘minute’, so 극미한 존재 is ‘a minute existence’, and 여 왔다 is the present perfect tense form of 이다, which means ‘to be’. So, 극미한 존재여 왔다 is ‘have been a minute existence’. And 는 것 is the noun form of a clause, so this is the same as a conjunction, that in English. And 명백하다 is an adjective, and its meaning is ‘evident’. So, 그러므로, 존재의 원대한 계획에서 인간들은 극미한 존재여 왔다는 것은 명백하다. Therefore, in the grand scheme of existence, it’s evident that humans have been a minute existence.

All right, we gonna go over the whole paragraph. Are you ready? Here we go.

45억년이 된 지구에서 우리의 존재의 범위를 파악하기 위한 효과적인 방법은 간단한 실험을 수행하는 것일 것이다. 그저 당신의 팔들을 그것들의 최대 범위까지 뻗고 그 너비를 우리 행성의 전체 역사로 그려보아라. 이 범위에서, 한 손의 손가락 끝에서부터 다른 쪽의 손목까지의 거리가 선캄브리아대 —즉, 지구의 지각이 형성되고 원시 생명체가 처음 바다에 출현했던 기간이다. 모든 복잡한 생명체는 한 손 거리에서 측정될 수 있다. 인간 생명의 측정에 관한 한, 당신이 선택한 손톱 위로 중간 결의 손톱 줄을 단 한 번 쓰는 것으로, 당신은 인류 전체 역사를 근절할 것이다. 그러므로, 존재의 원대한 계획에서 인간들은 극미한 존재여 왔다는 것은 명백하다.

An effective way of grasping the scope of our existence on the four and a half billion-year-old Earth would be to conduct a simple experiment. Simply stretch your arms to their fullest extent and picture the width as the entire history of our planet. On this scale, the distance from the fingertips of one hand to the wrist of the other is Precambrian - that is, the period during which the Earth’s crust formed and primitive life first appeared in the seas. All of complex life could be measured in the distance of one hand. When it comes to the measurement of human life, with a single stroke of a medium grained nail file over the fingernail of your choice, you would eradicate the entire history of mankind. Therefore, in the grand scheme of existence, it’s evident that humans have been a minute existence.