Tourism, the True Meaning of '압권'? 5 Fascinating Word Origins

Discover the lives and dreams of Joseon-era scholars hidden within everyday words.

• Learn that ‘관광’ originally did not mean travel.
• Find traces of past systems embedded in words like ‘압권’ and ‘출신’.
• Understand the historical flow of Korean society through changes in word meanings.

What image comes to mind when you hear the word ‘관광’ (tourism)? Most likely, you imagine enjoying beautiful scenery on a pleasant trip. But just a few hundred years ago, this word carried a very different, serious, and grand meaning. Following the etymology of words we casually use reveals fascinating stories from forgotten times.

1. 관광 (觀光): From the dream of seeing the king’s light to the journey of travel

The story begins in the Joseon Dynasty, with a young scholar heading to Hanyang (Seoul).

For him, 관광 (觀光) did not simply mean setting out on a trip. The word originates from the Chinese classic I Ching (周易) phrase ‘관국지광 (觀國之光)’, meaning ‘to see the light of the nation.’ Here, ‘light (光)’ symbolized the nation’s splendid culture and the king’s virtue. The scholar’s ultimate goal was to pass the civil service exam and personally behold the king’s face—the ‘light of the nation.’

However, reality was harsh. The pass rate for the exam was sometimes as low as 1 in 10,000. Most scholars returned home without seeing the king.

The only experience they gained was the arduous journey to and from Hanyang and the country’s landscapes and culture they encountered along the way. They would say, “I went on a 관광,” and from then on, this phrase mixed a sense of resignation and consolation meaning ‘I tried to see the king, but at least I saw the country’s scenery.’

Later, during the Enlightenment and Japanese colonial periods, the Western concept of leisure travel, or ’tourism,’ was introduced. Thanks to the semantic foundation of ‘seeing the country’s scenery,’ 관광 was finally chosen as the most appropriate word for ‘travel’ and fully settled into the meaning we know today.

2. 압권 (壓卷): The best answer sheet presses down all others

Next, we return to the civil service exam hall. After grading, examiners stacked the answer scrolls, called 시권 (試券), in order of scores.

The top scorer’s answer sheet was placed on top of all others. This physical act gave birth to the word 압권 (壓卷). Literally meaning ‘to press down the scroll (卷),’ it originally referred specifically to the first-place answer sheet.

Over time, the word expanded metaphorically. Beyond just the top answer sheet, it came to mean the most outstanding part among a group or events. For example, “The final chase scene in that movie was definitely the 압권.”

Thanks to the strong image of physically pressing down others, 압권 carries a much more vivid and intuitive power than abstract words like ‘best’ or ‘masterpiece.’ This is why the word remains widely used even after the civil service system disappeared.

3. 취재 (取才 vs. 取材): From selecting talented officials to gathering news materials

When you think of a news reporter, the word 취재 (取材) probably comes to mind first. Surprisingly, this word existed in the Joseon era but with completely different Chinese characters and meaning.

Joseon’s 취재 (取才) meant ‘selecting talented individuals (才)’, referring to special recruitment exams for lower-level administrators or technical officers, separate from the civil or military exams.

So where does the modern media-related 취재 (取材) come from? It was borrowed from modern Japan, where newspaper reporters used the term 取材 (しゅざい, shuzai) meaning ‘the act of gathering (取) news materials (材).’ With the introduction of newspapers during the Enlightenment, a specialized term was needed, and this homophonous word was adopted into Korean.

Thus, two ‘취재’ words with different characters coexist in Korean, but in modern society, the media-related 취재 (取材) overwhelmingly surpasses the older 취재 (取才).

4. 출신 (出身): From civil service exam certificates to describing background

In the Joseon era, passing the civil service exam granted a red certificate called 홍패 (紅牌). This certificate clearly stated ‘출신 (出身)’, indicating the candidate’s official status as a government official.

Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s 홍패 includes the phrase “Passed the military exam (武科) … and 출신 (officially entered service).” Here, 출신 did not simply mean ‘coming from somewhere’ but carried the honorable meaning of being officially recognized by the state and ‘emerging into the world.’

Though the Joseon exam system disappeared, it was replaced by the modern university system. The value of social advancement through passing exams continued as academic elitism.

As society’s key institution for proving individual ability shifted from the civil service exam to universities, the word ‘출신’ naturally broadened to mean ‘university graduate.’ Today, it is most commonly used to indicate alma mater, such as ‘Seoul National University 출신,’ but also broadly to describe personal background or affiliation, like ‘Samsung 출신’ or ‘engineer 출신.’

5. 탁방내다 (擢榜—) vs. 낙방 (落榜): Forgotten success, remembered failure

Finally, a somewhat unfamiliar word: ‘탁방내다.’ It combines ‘탁 (擢),’ meaning ‘to select,’ and ‘방 (榜),’ meaning ‘list of successful candidates,’ thus meaning ‘to be listed on the civil service exam pass list’, a glorious success.

But strangely, this word has become almost obsolete. The concept of success it represented has been replaced by the common word ‘합격 (pass).’

In contrast, the opposite word ‘낙방 (落榜),’ meaning ‘to fall off the list,’ is still widely used to mean ‘fail an exam.’

I believe this difference stems from the power of the metaphor ‘to fall.’ The emotional impact and frustration of failure are conveyed much more effectively by ‘낙방’ than the neutral ‘fail.’ This paradox, where expressions linked to strong negative emotions outlive procedural terms for success, reveals an intriguing aspect of language.

Conclusion

The etymologies of these five words are more than simple origins; they are linguistic fossils reflecting societal changes.

• Key summary:

  1. 관광: Shifted from a scholar’s dream to see the king’s light to the public’s concept of travel.
  2. 압권, 출신: Historical traces of the civil service system remain and have expanded into modern meanings.
  3. 낙방 vs. 탁방: Emotionally charged metaphors like ‘낙방’ survive longer than procedural terms like ‘탁방.’

Knowing the roots of the words we use leads to deeper insights into Korean society’s history and values. Which word origin impressed you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments!