Korean Proverb : The Day You Go Happens to Be Market Day

Korean Proverb  Series 15

The Day You Go Happens to Be Market Day

"가는 날이 장날이다"
(Ganeun nal-i jangnal-ida)

---

🕰️ 1. The Proverb’s Core Meaning

The Korean proverb “가는 날이 장날이다” literally translates to:
“The day you go happens to be market day.”

It describes an unlucky or inconvenient coincidence — when something unexpected happens to interfere with your plans. The proverb reflects life’s unpredictability and the humor in encountering trouble just when things seem to be going smoothly.

---

🪄 2. Meaning & Key Lesson

• Sometimes bad timing is just part of life.
• The proverb reminds us to accept unexpected events with patience and adaptability.
• It teaches flexibility — plans may fail, but attitude determines how we handle surprise or inconvenience.

---

👀 3. Real-Life Applications

• You visit a government office, only to find it closed for renovation.
• You go on a trip, but it starts raining the moment you arrive.
• You try to meet a friend, only to find they left town that day.

---

🌏 4. Similar Proverbs Around the World

CountryProverb / SayingInterpretation

 

United States	“When it rains, it pours.”	Misfortunes often happen all at once.
United Kingdom	“Sod’s Law” / “Murphy’s Law”	Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
China	“屋漏偏逢连夜雨” (Wū lòu piān féng lián yè yǔ)	“When the roof leaks, it happens to rain all night.” — misfortune comes in clusters.

---

💬 A Warm Saying

“Life doesn’t always follow your plan —
but every wrong turn has its own story.”

---

📌 Note

This is a creative cultural content from the Misojieum Story Blog (kor-telling.com).

Please do not copy without permission.
Sharing is welcome with proper source citation.