시도 때도 없다

Korean

Etymology

시(時) (si, “time, hour”, Sino-Korean word) +‎ 도 (-do, “even”) +‎ 때 (ttae, “time, moment”, native Korean word) +‎ 도 (-do, “even”) +‎ 없다 (eopda, “to be without”): "to be without [a specific] hour or moment [for it to occur]" > "to occur at any moment, to be recurrent".

Compare 한(限)도 끝도 없다 (han-do kkeut-do eopda), again juxtaposing a Sino-Korean word with a native synonym for emphasis.

Pronunciation
  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [ɕʰido̞ t͈ɛdo̞ ɘ(ː)p̚t͈a̠] ~ [ɕʰido̞ t͈e̞do̞ ɘ(ː)p̚t͈a̠]
  • Phonetic hangul: [시도 때도 업(ː)따/시도 떼도 업(ː)따]
    • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
Romanizations
Revised Romanization?sido ttaedo eopda
Revised Romanization (translit.)?sido ttaedo eobsda
McCune–Reischauer?sido ttaedo ŏpta
Yale Romanization?sito ttayto ēpsta

Idiom

시도 때도 없다 • (si-do ttae-do eopda)

  1. to be recurrent
    시도 때도 없이 찾아오는 두통 ― si-do ttae-do eopsi chajaoneun dutong ― recurrent headache
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