Preface Proverbs comprise a people’s truth, philosophy, morality, and word View crystalized by popular wisdom, including traditional products and cultural harvest reaped by the folk spirit through the intermediary of language. It is for this reason that language, state, and race are examined in sociology when discussing the nature of national traits. Language is a crystalization of national traits, as well as a vessel to contain the characteristics of a nation. Hidden in Korea proverbs faithful containers of the philosophy of the Korean language-are the aspirations and basic character of our populace. Our proverbs consist of a splendid allegorical pattern, and many merits of our national traits can be found in them. It must be made clear that this paper will deal mainly with the negative, instead of affirmative, aspects of our proverbs by examining demerits of our national characteristics. Many methods are possible for examining national traits, such as an approach from the aspect of history of national culture, an anthopo-psychological method, an approach from the angles of climatic psychology, or individual psychology, or social psychology. What this writer will specifically deal with among these methods of observation is “a. A linguistic observation” in “3. By observing cultural conditions.” He is also tempted to add to cause 3 “observation from the standpoint of folklore” because folklore occupies a due place in the hall of sciences.…… Thought Characteristics of Proverbs Here this writer will refer to proverbs by examining their raw material and the thought they intend to put forward. An analysis of materials-mainly nouns-was conducted by this writer, and the result made public in the inaugural edition of Hanguk Minsokhak(Korean Folklore). Here he will analyze verbs. 〈표 참조〉 Conclusion This writer has pointed out that our proverbs contain pantheistic ideas, Shamanism, flunkeyism, the habit of placing government above people, anti-Buddhism, physiocracy, eclecticism, and longing for an eventless and easy life. He has also tried to delve into our national traits by linking them to the proverbs. It is doubtful whether he has pointed out the demerits of Korean people as exactly as they really are. He is afraid that he may have taken one part for the whole,─ or exaggerated some parts in rash judgment. Just as human nature can attain healthy growth only through a normal forming of social conditions, what are called national traits can attain healthy growth only in normal social surroundings and through a normal process of national growth. Our past national history, in which ordeals and instability repeatedly assaulted the nation, gave brith to abnormal acquired national traits. Making matters worse, the Confucian ethics holding ceremony in high esteem withered human nature itself. Most of our proverbs, as a result, are filled with such dangerous and unhealthy patterns of thought. However, it is not recommendable that we stict to pessimism. National traits are something that can be reformed. They are not a fixed entity, but can be transformed by the demand of the times and through education and under the influence of various cultural conditions. When the truth previously believed in the past becomes no longer valid, the people, as we observe, do not hesitate in discarding it.