ANSWER: candle pus
The Korean word 촛농 is defined as "candle-wax droppings," but it literally means "candle (촛) pus (농 膿)." Why do Koreans describe melting candle wax as "candle pus"? Probably because the melting wax of a candle reminds them of pus oozing out of a sore.
The pure Korean word for "candle" is 초, but when certain other words are added to it to form new words, the spelling sometimes changes to 촛, as in 촛불, which is pronounced /촏뿔/ and means "candle fire" or "candle-light." And since 膿 (농) is the Chinese character for "pus," 촛농 literally means "candle (촛) pus (膿)."
By the way, the pure Korean word for "pus" is 고름, but, as far as I know, Koreans do not use 촛고름 to refer to "candle-wax droppings."
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| From Dong-A's Prime Korean-English Dictionary |
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| From Dong-A's Prime Korean-English Dictionary |
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