Exploring the Expression "이판사판" from The Glory
If you've watched The Glory, you might remember a scene involving the expression "이판사판". In Korean, "이판사판이다" is a common phrase used when a situation has gone "all or nothing" or "past the point of no return." But what makes this expression particularly interesting is its Buddhist origin—something that gets lost in translation!
In The Glory, a scene unfolds where 이사라, a pastor's daughter, sarcastically says to
문동은, "뭐, 커서 만나니까 이판사판이다 이거야?"
(Is this a “now-or-never” thing because we’re all grown up?).
문동은 replies with a clever line,
"큰일나 사라야. 이판사판은 원래 불교용어야"
(Be careful, Sara. '이판사판' actually has Buddhist roots).
Here, 문동은 jokes by reminding 사라 that, as a pastor’s daughter, she should know better!
So, what’s the Buddhist connection?
The term "이판사판" originally referred to two types of Buddhist "judgments" or paths: "이판" (practice or meditation) and "사판" (Buddhist affairs or administrative matters). In modern Korean, though, it has lost its literal meaning and instead conveys a sense of being “desperate” or “all-in.”
However, this wordplay is tricky to convey in English because it requires knowledge of the term’s religious and cultural background. In translation, it was adapted to a rough equivalent, where 사라 swears out of frustration, and 문동은 responds with, “We are in the house of God.”
This small example shows how Buddhist terms appear in everyday Korean expressions, even though many Koreans may not realize the religious origin. Translating these culturally specific expressions into English often means losing some layers of meaning. So if you’re studying Korean, keep an eye out for these cultural gems—they’re key to understanding the language more deeply!