상아탑

Korean

Etymology

    Sino-Korean word from 象牙塔, from 象牙 (“ivory”) + 塔 (“tower”), probably a calque of English ivory tower.

    Pronunciation

    • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [sʰa̠ŋa̠tʰa̠p̚]
    • Phonetic hangul: [상아탑]
    Romanizations
    Revised Romanization?sang'atap
    Revised Romanization (translit.)?sang'atab
    McCune–Reischauer?sangat'ap
    Yale Romanization?sanga.thap

    Noun

    상아탑 • (sang'atap) (hanja 象牙塔)

    1. (figurative) university (especially as an abode of learning and wisdom)
      Synonym: 대학(大學) (“university”, non-idiomatic)
      학문의 상아탑이 취업 기관으로 전락한 모습을 보니 씁쓸하다.
      Hangmun-ui sang'atab-i chwieop gigwan-euro jeollakhan moseub-eul boni sseupsseulhada.
      It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth to see these sacred abodes of knowledge degenerate into institutions for employment.
    2. (original meaning, less common) ivory tower

    Usage notes

    • Unlike in English, the word in its more common "university" sense is generally positive.
    This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.