-(으)ㄴ즉
seeing that; and what I found was
An archaic connective with two jobs: giving a reason, and reporting what came to light. You will meet it in older prose and in proverbs.
Build it
Pick a form
When to use it
Vowel stems take -ㄴ즉, consonant stems -은즉, and a ㄹ stem drops it: 만든즉. Verbs may also take -는즉. It is written joined, and 은즉슨 is an emphatic variant.
In the reason use it means “since it is so”: 사정이 그러한즉 이해해 주시기 바랍니다.
In the discovery use it reports what was found on doing something: 문을 열어 본즉 아무도 없었다. Here it works like an old form of -았/었더니.
The register is markedly archaic — scripture, classical prose, formal proclamations. Modern writing uses 므로 or 보니 instead.
How to attach it
| Stem type | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ends in a vowel | -ㄴ즉 | 그러하다 → 그러한즉 |
| Ends in a consonant | -은즉 | 깊다 → 깊은즉 |
| Ends in ㄹ | ㄹ drops | 만들다 → 만든즉 |
| Verb, discovery | -(으)ㄴ즉 / -는즉 | 열어 본즉 |
| Emphatic variant | -은즉슨 | 깊은즉슨 |
| Modern equivalents | -(으)므로, -아/어 보니 | 그러므로, 열어 보니 |
In use
사정이 그러한즉 널리 이해해 주시기 바랍니다.
Such being the case, I ask for your indulgence.
문을 열어 본즉 안에는 아무도 없었다.
On opening the door, he found nobody inside.
뜻이 깊은즉 함부로 논할 일이 아니다.
The meaning runs deep, and is not to be discussed lightly.
까닭을 물은즉 대답이 없었다.
When he asked the reason, there was no answer.
손수 만든즉 값을 매기기 어렵다.
Being made by hand, it is hard to put a price on.
근본이 바른즉슨 흔들릴 까닭이 없다.
The root being sound, there is no cause for it to waver.
Compared with
-(으)므로
The modern equivalent for the reason use. 므로 is standard formal Korean; 은즉 is archaic.
그러므로 이해해 주십시오. (formal) / 그러한즉 이해하시라. (archaic)
-았/었더니
For the discovery use, 더니 is the modern form. Both report what you found on doing something.
열어 봤더니 아무도 없었다. (modern) / 열어 본즉 아무도 없었다. (archaic)
-(으)ㄴ/는 고로
Both are archaic connectives of reason. 고로 is more purely causal; 은즉 leans on “this being so.”
사정이 그러한 고로 / 사정이 그러한즉
Watch out
손수 만들은즉 값을 매기기 어렵다.
손수 만든즉 값을 매기기 어렵다.
Stems ending in ㄹ drop it before -(으)ㄴ, as in 만든 음식 and 아는 사람.
사정이 그러한 즉 이해해 주십시오.
사정이 그러한즉 이해해 주십시오.
-(으)ㄴ즉 is a single ending and is written joined.
야, 배고픈즉 밥 먹자.
야, 배고프니까 밥 먹자.
-(으)ㄴ즉 is archaic. In conversation it sounds like reciting from an old text.
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