밑지다

First attested in the Beonyeok nogeoldae (飜譯老乞大 / 번역노걸대), 1517, as Middle Korean 믿디다 (Yale: mit-tita), equivalent to 밑 (mit, “bottom”) + 지다 (jida, “to fall”). Compare English bottom falls out.

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:

밑지다 • (mitjida) (infinitive 밑져 or 밑지어, sequential 밑지니)

1. (intransitive) to make a loss, especially a financial one, compared to the money or effort put in (e.g. so that one has less money than they did beforehand) (in an enterprise, investment, etc.)

   Synonym: 손해(損害) 보다 (sonhae boda)

   Antonym: 남다 (namda)

   이런 고급 상품을 이렇게 싸게 팔면 밑지는 장사지.

   Ireon gogeup sangpum-eul ireoke ssage palmyeon mitjineun jangsaji.

   If you sell these very luxury goods at such a cheap price, you're doing business at a loss.

2. (intransitive, figurative) to be unprofitable for, to be disadvantageous for (especially in a materialistic sense)

   Synonym: 손해(損害) 보다 (sonhae boda)

   부자는 거지와 사랑에 빠져 밑지는 결혼을 했다.

   Buja-neun geoji-wa sarang-e ppajeo mitjineun gyeolhon-eul haetda.

   The rich person fell in love with a beggar and entered into a unfavorable marriage.

3. (transitive, of an amount of money) to make a financial loss equivalent to such an amount

• 밑져야 본전이다 (mitjeoya bonjeonida, “to have nothing to lose”)