섬섬옥수

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 纖纖玉手, from 纖纖 (“delicate and beautiful”) + 玉手 (“jade hands”).

Pronunciation
  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [sʰʌ̹msʰʌ̹mo̞ks͈u]
  • Phonetic hangul: [섬서목쑤]
Romanizations
Revised Romanization?seomseomoksu
Revised Romanization (translit.)?seomseom'ogsu
McCune–Reischauer?sŏmsŏmoksu
Yale Romanization?semsem.ok.swu

Noun

섬섬옥수 • (seomseomoksu) (hanja 纖纖玉手)

  1. (four-character idiom from Classical Chinese) delicate, beautiful hands
    • 1840 or 1900, 악양누ᄀᆞ [Song of Yueyang Tower], quoted in 딸에게 부치는 노래 [ttarege buchineun norae, Songs Sent to a Daughter], Idam Books, published 2021:
      션연ᄒᆞᆫ 슉낭ᄌᆞ은 ᄎᆔ슈을 반만 것고 / 셤〻옥슈 드려ᄂᆡ여 쳥쥰을 어루만져 / 노ᄌᆞ작 ᄋᆡᆼ무ᄇᆡ의 장ᄉᆡᆼ쥬 가득 부어 / 구푸려 젼ᄒᆞᆫ 냥은 츈풍의 날제비라
      syeonyeon-han Syung-nangja-eun chwisyu-eul ban-man geotgo / syeomsyeomoksyu deuryeonaeyeo cheongjun-eul eorumanjeo / nojajak aengmubae-ui jangsaengju gadeuk bueo / gupuryeo jeonhan nyang-eun chunpung-ui naljebi-ra
      The graceful Lady Syuk has only half rolled up her sleeves / Unveiling her fair hands and caressing the clear goblets / In the cormorant dippers and parakeet cups, she pours the wine of longevity full / When she bends to offer the wine, she is like a flying swallow in the spring.
    • 2012, 설봉 [seolbong], 사신 9권 [sasin 9gwon]‎, 프로무림 [peuromurim]:
      가슴에 다을 때는 분명 섬섬옥수였다. 너무 부드러워 뼈가 있는지 의심되었다.
      Gaseum-e da'eul ttae-neun bunmyeong seomseomoksu-yeotda. Neomu budeureowo ppyeo-ga in-neunji uisim-doeeotda.
      When they touched his chest, they were certainly delicate hands. They were so soft he doubted whether they had bones inside.
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