꽃길 (꽃 = Flower, 길 = Road/Path) has about the same metaphoric meaning as in English – Flower or Flowery Path. It speaks of a smooth life path full of good luck and fortunate events, just as in “rosy road” in English. Thanks to BTS songs and some K-dramas, you may already know that Koreans particularly like to use this optimistic expression. Its antonym would be “가시밭길” (Thorny path: 가시 = Thorn; 밭 = Field; 길 = Poad/Path).
- 인생이 화려한 꽃길만은 아니죠 = Life is not always a rosy road.
- 꽃길만 걷자 = Let’s only walk on the flowery path!
With the popular metaphorical significance in mind, you may enjoy even more the following poem by 유자효, titled “꽃길,” and BTS’s “2! 3!”:
UPDATE 6/2022: A fantastic scene from “지금부터 쇼타임! From Now On, Showtime! (2022)” beautifully shows a classical Korean way of using the “가시밭길 – 꽃길” metaphor. Enjoy the quiz in the middle of the video!
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