흥부와 놀부
Heungbu and Nolbu
Traditional Korean folktale (Heungbu-jeon, anonymous, late Joseon era)
The Story
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옛날 어느 마을에 형제가 살았어요.형의 이름은 놀부였고, 동생의 이름은 흥부였어요.
놀부는 욕심이 많고 마음이 차가웠지만, 흥부는 착하고 다정했어요.부모님이 돌아가신 뒤, 놀부는 흥부를 집에서 쫓아냈어요.
어느 봄날, 흥부는 다리가 부러진 제비 한 마리를 발견했어요.흥부는 정성껏 제비의 다리를 치료해 주었어요.
다음 해 봄, 제비는 흥부에게 작은 박씨 하나를 물어다 주었어요.흥부가 그 씨앗을 심자, 커다란 박이 주렁주렁 열렸어요.
박을 가르자, 그 안에서 쌀과 금은보화가 쏟아져 나왔어요.흥부는 부자가 되었지만, 예전처럼 이웃에게 늘 친절했어요.
Full translationTry the story first — open this only to check your understanding.
Long ago, in a small village, there lived two brothers. The older brother was named Nolbu, and the younger brother was named Heungbu.
Nolbu was greedy and cold-hearted, but Heungbu was kind and warm. After their parents passed away, Nolbu drove Heungbu out of the house.
One spring day, Heungbu found a swallow with a broken leg. Heungbu carefully treated the swallow's leg and nursed it back to health.
The next spring, the swallow brought Heungbu a single gourd seed as thanks. When Heungbu planted the seed, it grew into a vine heavy with giant gourds.
When he cut one open, rice and treasure poured out from inside. Heungbu became wealthy, but he remained just as kind to his neighbors as before.
Comprehension Check
1. What kind of person was Heungbu?
2. What did the swallow bring Heungbu?
3. What came out of the gourd?
Vocabulary
noun
제비
jebi
swallow (bird)
제비 한 마리가 다리를 다쳤어요.
A swallow had hurt its leg.
Your Summary
In 1–2 sentences, describe what Heungbu did for the swallow and what happened afterward.
Source: Based on Heungbu-jeon (흥부전), an anonymous traditional Korean folktale of unknown authorship believed to date from the late Joseon era and long in the public domain. This simplified retelling and its English translation are original text written for SeoJae Story.
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