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Examples
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The word “nunchi” itself roughly translates to “eye-measure”, a sort of sizing-up, not of individuals but of the overall context and atmosphere of a situation.
What is 'nunchi', the Korean secret to happiness? Adrienne Matei 2019
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According to Hong, nunchi is the “art of understanding what people are thinking and feeling” – a quality held by those who are sensitive to the dynamics within a given group.
What is 'nunchi', the Korean secret to happiness? Adrienne Matei 2019
xntrek commented on the word nunchi
From http://www.cracked.com/article_17251_10-coolest-foreign-words-english-language-needs.html
The art of not becoming a Backpfeifengesicht.
Speaking of which, why is it some people just seem to have no idea what's going on in a social situation? They tell six jokes in a row without noticing no one is laughing, they smoke in a house that has clearly never been smoked in, they managed to always bring up the one subject you're sensitive about ("Hey, you know what's funny? The Holocaust!")
The Koreans would say they lack nunchi, the innate ability that lets you sense what would be the wrong thing to say in a situation (and presumably the ability to then not say it).
June 4, 2009
madmouth commented on the word nunchi
a lot of the foreign teaching staff need to be whacked with the nunchi stick every day of their lives.
though I have noticed Koreans themselves are by no means exempt from nunchi-free asshattery.
June 4, 2009
Prolagus commented on the word nunchi
A synonym of savoir-faire?
June 4, 2009
madmouth commented on the word nunchi
the root is nun, meaning "eye", bringing the concept to "what you can read in the eyes". savoir-faire is less emotionally loaded, I think; nunchi is about feeling people out.
June 5, 2009