풀다
pul-da
Untie a lace, untangle a problem, undo a misunderstanding
The picture Something bound tight is let back to slack, and what was tangled comes loose on its own. 풀다 lets what was tight go slack; 묶다 pulls what was slack tight.
Where the picture shows up in 풀다
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a tied lace goes slack
신발 끈 좀 풀어요.
sin-bal kkeun jom pu-reo-yo
Undo your shoelaces.
Pulling the loop of a tight shoelace knot until the whole knot slides loose
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a tangled problem comes undone
이 문제 어떻게 푸는지 알려 주세요.
i mun-je eo-tteo-ke pu-neun-ji al-lyeo ju-se-yo
Show me how to solve this problem.
A problem tangled like a ball of yarn, its threads pulled straight one strand at a time
A problem is tangled thread. Find the loose end, pull, and it unravels by itself.
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a knotted feeling loosens
오해를 풀고 싶어요.
o-hae-reul pul-go si-peo-yo
I want to clear up the misunderstanding.
A single knot hanging between two people going slack and slipping free
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a stiff body loosens
운동 전에 몸을 풀어야 해요.
un-dong jeo-ne mo-meul pu-reo-ya hae-yo
You have to loosen up before exercising.
Rolling stiff shoulders and legs until the stiffness drains out of them
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clumped powder scatters into water
가루를 물에 잘 풀어 주세요.
ga-ru-reul mu-re jal pu-reo ju-se-yo
Stir the powder into the water until it dissolves.
Lumps of powder in water breaking apart with each stir until the water goes evenly cloudy
All of it in one picture
풀다 is the picture of something tight going slack until the tangle scatters. The knot goes slack and the lace is undone; the tangled threads straighten and the problem is solved; the knot between two people slips free and the misunderstanding clears; a stiff body goes slack and it is warmed up; the lumps break apart and the powder dissolves. So wherever 풀다 goes, something held tight has been let back to slack and the snarl is gone.