Professors nationwide chose the four-character idiom that symbolizes this year as "byeondongbulgeo" (變動不居).
The Professor Newspaper said on Dec. 8 that "byeondongbulgeo" ranked No. 1 (33.94%) in its survey of 766 professors nationwide for this year's four-character idiom.
Byeondongbulgeo means "the world never stops even for a moment and keeps flowing as it changes," and the Professor Newspaper said it carries "a timely message that in an age of uncertainty, we must consider stability and sustainability."
Second place for this year's four-character idiom was "cheonmyeongmisang" (天命靡常·26.37%), meaning that the will of heaven is not fixed. It means one should recognize the value and fear of public sentiment and act according to it.
Third place was "chujiyakmu" (趨之若鶩·20.76%). Meaning to swarm like a flock of ducks, the Professor Newspaper noted it reflects how emotional reactions of camps came before fact-checking and instability deepened.
Yang Il-mo, a professor at Seoul National University's College of Liberal Studies who recommended byeondongbulgeo, said, "On the 31st of last year, martial law was declared, and this spring the Constitutional Court impeached the president," and noted that "high-ranking officials are going in and out of court."