Gyeon-mun-bal-geom

見

볼 견

蚊

모기 문

拔

뺄 발

劍

칼 검

Character by character

Meaning

Drawing a sword at a mosquito — an answer far larger than the problem.

Origin

Not from a Chinese classic; it is understood as a Korean coinage, with the same sense appearing in Joseon-era writing.

How it is used

Used, half in reproach, of someone who blows a small thing up.

Hanja見蚊拔劍

Simplified见蚊拔剑

Korean reading견문발검

Pinyinjiàn wén bá jiàn

Frequently asked questions

Q. What does Gyeon-mun-bal-geom mean?

見蚊拔劍 · Drawing a sword at a mosquito — an answer far larger than the problem.

Q. Where does Gyeon-mun-bal-geom come from?

Not from a Chinese classic; it is understood as a Korean coinage, with the same sense appearing in Joseon-era writing.

Q. How is Gyeon-mun-bal-geom used?

Used, half in reproach, of someone who blows a small thing up.

Idioms in the same group

有備無患 Yu-bi-mu-hwanIf you prepare in advance, there is nothing to worry about.易地思之 Yeok-ji-sa-jiThink about it after swapping places with the other person.初志一貫 Cho-ji-il-gwanCarry the resolve you started with all the way through, unchanged.名不虛傳 Myeong-bul-heo-jeonThe reputation was not passed on in vain — it lives up to the name.靑出於藍 Cheong-chul-eo-ramThe blue drawn from the indigo plant is bluer than the plant — the student surpasses the teacher.大器晩成 Dae-gi-man-seongA great vessel takes long to finish — those destined for greatness succeed late.

The idioms used in Korea mix phrases from the Chinese classics with ones coined in Korea. Where an expression is not used in China, the entry says so.