What does 독불장군(獨不將軍) mean?

독불장군(獨不將軍) is defined as follows:

1. [고집쟁이] a man of self-assertion
2. [외톨이] a meverick; a loner; a lone wolf; someone ostracized.

Today's meaning of the expression is different from its original meaning, as the Chinese characters show:

• 獨(독) alone
• 不(불) no; not
• 將(장) commander; general
• 軍(군) soldier

Originally, 獨不將軍(독불장군) meant, "one cannot become a general by oneself," which implies that a person needs "people skills" to succeed. Koreans seem to have taken that piece of good advice and changed it into a noun.