사대주의

Korean

Etymology

    Sino-Korean word from 事大主義, from 事大 (serve the greater [nation]) + 主義 (-ism).

    Pronunciation

    • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ˈsʰa̠(ː)dɛd͡ʑuɰi] ~ [ˈsʰa̠(ː)dɛd͡ʑui] ~ [ˈsʰa̠(ː)de̞d͡ʑuɰi] ~ [ˈsʰa̠(ː)de̞d͡ʑui]
    • Phonetic hangul: [(ː)/(ː)/(ː)/(ː)]
      • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
    Romanizations
    Revised Romanization?sadaejuui
    Revised Romanization (translit.)?sadaejuui
    McCune–Reischauer?sadaejuŭi
    Yale Romanization?sātaycwuuy

    Noun

    사대주의 • (sadaejuui) (hanja 事大主義)

    1. (historical) Koreans' historical reverence of the Chinese empire, in which China was honored as the most civilized country on earth and the source of Korea's political legitimacy
    2. (derogatory) a subservient, self-disparaging, or self-negating attitude towards one's own country, culture, or society (especially by a Korean) in favor of a more powerful or dominant one
      미국 문화 대한 사대주의 버려야 합니다.Miguk munhwa-e daehan sadaejuui-reul beoryeoya hamnida.We must abandon our self-disparaging attitude towards American culture.

    Derived terms

    • 사대주의자(事大主義者) (sadaejuuija, sycophant)