Yi Hwang (; 1501–1570) was a Korean philosopher, writer, and Confucian scholar of the Joseon period.[Daehwan, Noh. "The Eclectic Development of Neo-Confucianism and Statecraft from the 18th to the 19th Century," Korea Journal. Winter 2003.] He is considered the most important philosopher of Korea - he is honored by printing his portrait on the 1000 South Korean won banknote, on the reverse of which one can see an image of his school, Dosan Seowon. He was of the Neo-Confucianism literati, established the Yeongnam School and set up the Dosan Seowon, a private Confucian academy.[ Yi Hwang at Doosan Encyclopedia]
Yi Hwang is often referred to by his art name Toegye ("Retreating Creek"). His courtesy name was Gyeongho.[ Yi Hwang at Encyclopedia of Korean Culture]
His interpretation of Neo-Confucianism was influential not only in Korea, but also in Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and is now being studied even in the mainland China. His main work, Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning, originally published in classical Chinese language, has been already translated into modern Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, English, French, German, Russian and Polish.
Some of his writings were looted by the Japanese military during the Japanese invasion of Korea.
Biography
Yi Hwang was born in Ongye-ri,
Andong, in the north of Gyeongsang Province, in 1501. He belonged to the Jinbo Yi clan, and was the youngest son among eight children.
[ Yi Hwang at The Academy of Korean Studies] A child prodigy, he learned the
Analects of Confucius from his uncle at age twelve and admiring the poetry of
Tao Yuanming, started writing poetry. His poem
Yadang (, "Pond in the Wild"), written at the age of eighteen, is considered one of his major works.
[ 君子有終, Seoul Sinmun, 2005-05-18. Retrieved 2010-07-07.] Around the age of twenty, he immersed himself in the study of
I Ching and
Neo-Confucianism.
[ Yi Hwang at Britannica Korea]
He came to Seoul (then known as Hanseong) when he was 23 years old and entered the national academy Sungkyunkwan in 1523. In 1527 he passed preliminary exams to become a government official, but re-entered Sungkyunkwan at the age of 33 and socialized with the scholar Kim In-hu. He passed the civil service exams with top honors in 1534 and continued his scholarly pursuits whilst working for the government.
Yi Hwang was disillusioned by the power struggles and discord in the royal court during the later years of King Jungjong's reign and left political office. However, he was continuously brought out of retirement and held several positions away from the royal court and in rural areas. He was the governor of Danyang County at 48 and governor of Punggi-eup afterwards. During his days at Pungi he redeveloped and improved the private Neo-Confucian academy Sosu Seowon established by his predecessor Sosu Seowon.
He was named Daesaseong (대사성, head instructor) of Sungkyunkwan in 1552 but turned down other prominent offices later on. In 1560, he established the Dosan seodang and engrossed himself in meditation, study, and teaching his disciples. King Myeongjong tried to coax him back to political office, but he was steadfast in his devotion to study. He finally returned to the royal court at 67 upon the king's request when envoys from the Ming dynasty came to Seoul. When King Myeongjong suddenly died, his successor King Seonjo appointed Yi Hwang as Yejo panseo (, minister of rites) but he declined and returned to his home once again.
However, the king continuously called Yi Hwang back and unable to refuse further, he resumed office at the age of 68 and wrote many advisory documents including Seonghak sipdo (, "Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning"). He also gave lectures from the teachings of Song dynasty Confucian scholars Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao, I Ching, Analects, and Zhang Zai in royal presence. He finally retired from politics at the age of 70 and died in 1570.
During forty years of public life he served four kings (Jungjong, Injong, Myeongjong and Seonjo). On his death, Yi Hwang was posthumously promoted to the highest ministerial rank, and his mortuary tablet housed in a Confucian shrine as well as in the shrine of King Seonjo. His disciples and followers reorganized the Dosan seodang to Dosan Seowon in 1574.
Teachings
Yi Hwang was the author of many books on Confucianism. He followed the dualistic
Neo-Confucianism teachings of
Zhu Xi, which views
i (Chinese "li") and
gi (Chinese "qi") as the forces of foundation of the universe. Yi Hwang placed emphasis on the
i, the formative element, as the existential force that determines
gi. This school of thought contrasted with the school that focused on the concrete element of
gi, established by Yi Hwang's counterpart
Yi I. Understanding the determinative pattern of
i would be more essential in understanding the universe than recognizing the principles that govern individual manifestations of
gi. This approach of placing importance on the role of
i became the core of the Yeongnam School, where Yi Hwang's legacy was carried on by prominent figures such as Yu Sŏngnyong and Kim Sŏngil.
[Lee Hyun-hee, Park Sung-soo, Yoon Nae-hyun, translated by The Academy of Korean Studies, New History of Korea pp 392–393, Jimoondang, Paju, 2005. ]
Yi Hwang was also talented in calligraphy and poetry, writing a collection of sijo, a three line poetic form popular with the literati of the Joseon period.
Selected works
These are some of Yi Hwang's published writings:
[ WorldCat Identities: 李滉 1501–1570; Yi, Hwang 1501–1570: May 23, 2015]
Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning
The Neo-Confucian literature of
Seonghaksipdo was composed by Yi Hwang in 1568 for King Seonjo. It is a series of lectures for rulers through examples of past sages.
[ Seonghaksipdo at Doosan Encyclopedia] Traditional Confucians had affirmed that any man could learn to become a sage; the new Confucians made the ideal of sagehood real and attainable, just as enlightenment was for Buddhists. Yi Hwang intended to present that path by starting each chapter with a diagram and related text drawn from Zhu Xi or another leading authority, and concluding with a brief commentary. He intended for "Ten Diagrams" to be made into a ten paneled standing screen, as well as a short book, so that the mind of the viewer could be constantly engaged with its contents, until it totally assimilated the material.
[ Ten Diagrams, Michael C. Kalton, Columbia University Press, 1988]
Legacy
Toegyero, a street in central Seoul, is named after him,
[ Toegyero at Doosan Encyclopedia] and he is depicted on the South Korean 1,000 won note.
[ The new 1,000 won bill, Maeil Business News, 2006-01-17. Retrieved 2010-07-08.] The
Taekwondo pattern Toi-Gye was named in honor of Yi Hwang.
[ Historical names in Taekwondo, Yonhap News, 2005-07-10. Retrieved 2010-07-08.]
Many institutes and university research departments devoted to Yi Hwang have been established. The Toegye Studies Institute set up in Seoul in 1970, Kyungpook National University's Toegye Institute opened in 1979, and an institute and library in Dankook University in 1986. There are research institutes in Tokyo, Taiwan, Hamburg and the United States.
A notable direct descendant of Yi is poet and independence activist Yi Yuksa, who is also an Andong native.
Family
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Father: Yi Sik (; 12 September 1463 – 13 June 1502)
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Mother:
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Biological: Lady Park of the Chuncheon Park clan (; ? – 1537) – Yi Sik's 2nd wife.
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Adoptive: Lady Kim of the Munso Kim clan () – Yi Sik's 1st wife.
Wives and their issue(s):
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Lady Heo of the Gimhae Heo clan (; 1502–1528)
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Yi Jun (; 1523–1583) – 1st son.
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Yi Chae (; 1527–1550) – 2nd son.
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Lady Gwon of the Andong Gwon clan (; 1502–1547) – No issue.
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Unnamed concubine
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Yi Jeok () – 3rd son.
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Gisaeng Du-Hyang () – No issue.
See also
Further reading
-
Min-Hong Choi, A Modern History of Korean Philosophy, Seong Moon SA, Seoul, 1980, p. 67-81.
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Il-ch'ol Sin et al., Main Currents of Korean Thought, The Korean National Commission for UNESCO - Si-sa-yong-o-sa Publishers Inc. - Pace International Research Inc., Seoul - Arch Cape, Oregon, 1983, p. 82-93, .
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Wm. Theodore de Bary, JaHyun Kim Haboush (eds.), The Rise of Neo Confucianism in Korea, Columbia University Press, New York, 1985, p. 223-302, .
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Michael C. Kalton, Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning, Columbia University Press, New York, 1988.
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André Jacob, Jean-Fançois Mattéi (dir.), Encyclopédie philosophique universelle. III. Les Oeuvres philosphiques, Presses Universitaires de France, Paris 1992, Tome 2, p. 4122-4123, .
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Michael C. Kalton, The Four-Seven Debate. An Annotated Translation of the Most Famous Controversy in Korean Neo-Confucian Thought, SUNY Press, Albany, 1994.
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Ian P. McGreal (ed.), Great Thinkers of the Eastern World: The Major Thinkers and the Philosophical and Religious Classics of China, India, Japan, Korea, and the World of Islam, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1995, p. 413-417, .
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Peter H. Lee, Wm. Theodore de Bary, Yong-ho Ch'oe, Hugh H. W. Kang (eds.), Sources of Korean Tradition, Columbia University Press, New York 1997, vol. I, p. 286-290, 349–375, .
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Oliver Leaman (ed.), Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy, Routledge, London - New Yourk, 2001, , 579–580.
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Seung-hwan Lee et al., Korean Philosophy: Its Tradition and Modern Transformation, The Korean National Commission for UNESCO - Hollym Intl., Seoul - Elisabeth, NJ, 2004, p. 75-94, (Volume VI).
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Xinzhong Yao (ed.), RoutledgeCurzon Encyclopedia of Confucianism, RoutledgeCurzon, London - New York, 2003, vol. 2: O-Z, p. 753-754, ; 0-415-30653-1.
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Yi Hwang, Étude de la sagesse en dix diagrammes, éd. Hye-young Tcho & Jean Golfin, Éditions du Cerf, Paris, 2005, .
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Youngsun Back & Philip J. Ivanhoe (eds.), Traditional Korena Philosophy: Problems and Debates, Rownan & Littlefield Intl., London - New York 2017, p. 25-68, .
External links
