아니 땐 굴뚝에 연기 날까 · 아니 땐 굴뚝에 연기 나겠어요?
where there's smoke, there's fire (lit. would smoke rise from a chimney with no fire lit?)
Example
아니 땐 굴뚝에 연기 날까, 그 두 사람 정말 사귀는 거 아니에요?
Where there's smoke, there's fire. Aren't those two really dating?
Word parts
연 smoke+기 vapor
아니 땐 is an old form of 안 땐 'unlit' (때다 'to burn fuel'): smoke can't come out of a chimney if no fire was made.
Good to know
Used to suggest that a rumor must have some truth behind it, exactly like the English saying. Also quoted as 아니 땐 굴뚝에 연기 나랴.
Related words