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Dictionary › TOPIK 5

TOPIK 5noun

소탐대실

sotamdaesil

소탐대실이 · 소탐대실을

penny-wise and pound-foolish; losing big by chasing small gains

Example

싼 제품만 고르다가 돈을 더 쓰게 되면 소탐대실이에요.

If you only pick cheap products and end up spending more, that's penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Word parts

소 small탐 covet대 big실 lose

Literally 'covet the small, lose the big.'