臥

An ideogrammic compound:

臣 — minister; subject

人 — person

In ancient ritual and political culture, a 臣 (minister) was expected to prostrate himself before the ruler. The posture of submission—lying face-down or lowering the body close to the ground—became the conceptual basis for 臥.

Thus, the character originally conveyed "a person assuming a low, submissive posture."

From this bodily image, the general meaning “to lie down” naturally developed:

ritual posture → physical posture

prostration → lying down

lying down → resting / sleeping

Unlike 坐 (to sit), which implies alertness or readiness, 臥 emphasizes rest, passivity, or withdrawal from activity.

臥病 (와병) — to be bedridden

臥床 (와상) — lying in bed

臥室 (와실) — bedroom (literary / archaic)

臥 is closely tied to ideas of rest, illness, humility, and endurance.

In classical idioms, it often implies deliberate hardship.

In modern slang, it survives via phonetic substitution.

Related characters:

坐 — to sit (alertness)

寝 / 寢 — to sleep

伏 — to lie prone; to prostrate (submission)

倒 — to fall over

A humorous Korean saying:

“사서삼경을 다 읽어도 누울 와(臥) 자가 제일”

“Even after reading all the Four Books and Five Classics, the best character is ‘臥’.”

It jokingly praises lying down and resting as the greatest virtue.

臥 appears frequently in classical texts to indicate:

- physical rest

- illness

- retirement or seclusion

- military concealment (lying in wait)

Example patterns:

臥病 — to lie ill

臥薪嘗膽 — “to sleep on firewood and taste gall”

Meaning: enduring humiliation and hardship to achieve a future goal.

This idiom is one of the most famous expressions containing 臥, emphasizing self-discipline and perseverance.