TOPIK II · LEVEL 5
-에 불과하다
N에 불과하다 says that something is only N and no more, and stresses that it is small, unimportant or less than expected.
정도·비교Degree & comparisonHan: 불과하다 takes the particle 에, not 이/가; learners often treat it like 되다 or 아니다.
Examples
그 이야기는 소문에 불과하니까 너무 믿지 마세요.That story is nothing more than a rumor, so don't believe it too much.
늦은 이유를 설명했지만 그건 변명에 불과했다.He explained why he was late, but it was nothing more than an excuse.
지금까지의 성과는 시작에 불과합니다.What we have achieved so far is only the beginning.
이번 조사에 참여한 학생은 전체의 10%에 불과했다.The students who took part in this survey were only 10% of the total.
Don’t mix up
-에 불과하다vs-(으)ㄹ 뿐이다뿐이다 attaches directly to verbs and adjectives and sounds more neutral, while 에 불과하다 needs a noun and stresses insignificance: 저는 제 일을 했을 뿐이에요 vs 그건 핑계에 불과해요.-에 불과하다vsN밖에 안 되다Same meaning, but 밖에 안 되다 is the everyday spoken choice; 밖에 always goes with a negative predicate, here 안 되다 itself: 참석자가 열 명밖에 안 됐어요 = 참석자는 열 명에 불과했다.
-에 불과하다vs불과 + number불과 alone is an adverb meaning 'just/only' placed before a number, with no 에 and no 하다: 불과 일주일 만에 다 배웠어요.
How to build it
N+에 불과하다 (V/A-(으)ㄴ/는 것 + 에 불과하다)
소문 → 소문에 불과하다; 웃다 → 웃은 것에 불과하다
- It attaches to a noun with the particle 에. To use it with a verb or adjective, first turn it into a noun phrase with -(으)ㄴ/는 것.
- It carries the speaker's judgement that the amount or thing is small or insignificant, so it does not fit when you want to praise something as large or important.
- It is formal and common in writing, news and speeches; in everyday conversation Koreans usually say N밖에 안 되다 or N일 뿐이다 instead.
Classic mistake
Wrong: 그 말은 농담이 불과했어요.
Right: 그 말은 농담에 불과했어요.
불과하다 takes the particle 에, not 이/가; learners often treat it like 되다 or 아니다.
Practise -에 불과하다 on real TOPIK questions
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All TOPIK grammar- -(으)ㄴ/는 것이나 다름없다It says that something is not literally X, but in practice it is just the same as X.
- -에 그치다N + 에 그치다 says that a result or level stopped at N and went no further, usually less than hoped for.
- -기 나름이다The result is not fixed; it depends on how someone does the action or looks at things.
- -(이)란N(이)란 picks out a concept that you are about to define or explain the essence of: "N is (by its nature)…", "what we call N is…".
- -(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다Use -(으)ㄹ 게 뻔하다 when the situation makes it plain to you that something, usually something bad, will happen or has happened.
- -(으)ㄴ 끝에Shows that a result was finally reached after a long or difficult process of doing something.
- -(으)ㄹ 망정-(으)ㄹ망정 means 'even if I have to accept this bad situation, I still won't give up something more important,' or 'although X is true, Y still holds.'
- -(으)ㄹ 즈음-(으)ㄹ 즈음 means "around the time when something happens": it marks an approximate time, not an exact moment.
- -(으)ㄹ 테다Declares the speaker's firm will or determination: 'I will … (no matter what)'. In a question to the listener it asks about their intention, often bluntly. Plain style: -(으)ㄹ 테야 in speech, -(으)ㄹ 테다 in self-talk and narration.