Yi Hwang

Korean spelling
Hangeul	이황
Hanja	李 滉
Revised Romanization	I Hwang
McCune- Reischauer	Yi Hwang
stage name
Hangeul	퇴계
Hanja	退溪
Revised Romanization	Toegye, Toi-gye
McCune- Reischauer	T'oegye
Posthumous title
Hangeul	문순
Hanja	文 純
Revised Romanization	Munsun
McCune- Reischauer	Munsun
Honorary name
Hangeul	경호
Hanja	景 浩
Revised Romanization	Gyeongho
McCune- Reischauer	Kyŏngho
See also : Korean name

Yi Hwang (* 1501 in Andong , Korea ; † 1570) is a Korean scholar of neo-Confucianism and court official during the Joseon Dynasty . Together with the younger Yi I , he is considered one of the two particularly outstanding scholars of his time. He was a key figure in neoconfucian literature, founded the Yeongnam School and the Dosan-Seowon, a private Confucian academy. He is often named with his stage name Toegye (Hangeul: 퇴계 [tʰøgje] also transcribed: Toigye ), roughly translatedwithdrawn brook or contemplative river . His honorary name was Gyeongho , which roughly means keeper of order .

Life

Yi Hwang was born in 1501 in Ongye-ri, now a district of Andong , in the north of Gyeongsang Province . He was the youngest of 8 children. His family belonged to the Jinseong Yi clan. As a child he admired the poems of Tao Qian and he began to write his own poetry at the age of 12. It was also around this time that one of his uncles began to teach him the doctrinal conversations of Confucius , one of the classics of Confucian literature. His poem Yadang (Hangeul: 야당 , Hanja: 野 塘 , pond in the great outdoors ), which he wrote at the age of 18, is regarded as one of his masterpieces. When he was around 20 years old, he began to study the I Ching and neo-Confucianism.

When he was 23, he went to Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul . Four years later, he passed the preliminary exams to become a government official. At the age of 33 he returned to the university for the final official exams and came into contact with the scholar Kim In-hu. In 1534 he passed the exams with special distinction. In his subsequent work as a government official, he also continued his academic pursuit.

When he was 37, his mother died and he returned to his hometown to mourn her for 3 years, according to Confucian custom.

On his return he was entrusted with various offices, at times with several at the same time in personal union. From 1542 he was temporarily employed as an undercover investigator Amhaengeosa (Hangeul: 암행 어사 , Hanja: 暗 行 御史 ) to uncover corruption in the administration or to fathom the actual mood among the people. He took this task relentlessly seriously and made so many enemies who managed to discredit him and obtain his transfer to punishment.

Since Yi Hwang saw his actions on behalf of the king and thus completely right, the successes of his opponents hit him deeply. He was appalled at how far the corrupt networks reached into the immediate vicinity of King Jungjong and were able to manipulate him effectively and assert his own interests. He therefore left the direct service of the king entirely. However, he was repeatedly recruited for assignments in rural areas away from the farm. At the age of 48, he became governor of Danyang-gun, a county in Chungcheongbuk-do , and later of Punggi-eup, a suburb of Yeongju City in the same province. Sosu Seowon founded the private Confucian Academy Sosu Seowon in Yeongju in 1542. During his time as governor of Punggi, Yi Hwang took on this academy, solicited support, negotiated privileges for the academy and made it flourish. In 1552 he was appointed director (대사성, Daesaseong ) of the academy and subsequently gave up other offices. The only personal meeting with the young and later neo-Confucian scholar Yi I also took place during this time . In 1560 he founded the Dosan Seodang, a kind of elementary school for children and adolescents from 7 to 16 years, devoted himself to his personal development through meditation and study and the teaching of his followers.

After King Injong's death in 1545, his half-brother, King Myeongjong , succeeded him. He tried to persuade Yi Hwang to take over political offices again. But he remained steadfast in his decision to devote his life to study and science. When Chinese visiting scholars came to the royal court in Seoul, Yi Hwang was persuaded to return to the court. He was now 67. When King Myeongjong died unexpectedly shortly afterwards, however, his 15-year-old half-brother King Seonjo succeeded him to the throne. Yi Hwang was offered the post of master of ceremonies (Hangeul: 예조 판서 , Hanja: 禮 曹 判 書 , Yejo panseo ), but refused and returned to his homeland. The king (or his mother, the king was only 15), however, kept urging him to return to court. Yi Hwang initially resisted. Finally, now 68 years old, he gave in to the urging of the royal court, but no longer accepted political office, but returned to the court as a lecturer. Among other things, he taught the young King Seonjo. Over the next two years he wrote a number of textbooks and guides. Including the now famous Seonghak sipdo ( see below ) to guide him on his way to becoming a good king. During these two years he also gave lectures on the findings of the Chinese Confucian scholars of the Song Dynasty , Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao and Zhang Zai , as well as the Book of Changes (I Ching), the conversations of Confucius , in which the king also took part . In 1570 he finally returned to his homeland, where he died shortly afterwards.

In forty years in public service, he served 4 kings: Jungjong , Injong , Myeongjong, and King Seonjo . After his death, he was posthumously awarded the highest rank of ministerial. His grave slab is part of a Confucian memorial, and the memorial in honor of King Seonji contains a plaque commemorating Yi Hwang.

The rebuilt Dosan Seowon Academy

In 1574 the Dosan Seowon School he founded was rededicated by his students and followers into an academy and memorial for him.

Act

Toegye Munjip, Yi Hwang's Font Collection

→ Main article : Confucianism

→ Main article : Neoconfucianism

The Confucianism is a moral teaching. Neoconfucianism tries to supplement this moral teaching and develop it into a comprehensive worldview. To do this, he integrates z. B. Elements of Daoism . Neoconfucianism originated in China around the 11th century. One of its most important representatives is the Chinese scholar Zhu Xi . Neoconfucianism, however, was much further developed in Korea in the 16th century. Here are the two most important representatives Yi Hwang and Yi I .

Yi Hwang is the author of numerous works in which he takes from Zhu Xi the concept that the two determining poles that constitute the universe are Li and Ki . Ki denotes the life energy and the real , while Li denotes the regulating factors in the broader sense: rules of politeness, religious rites, social hierarchies and justice as well as natural laws.

Yi Hwang placed special emphasis on Li, i.e. order, and regarded it as the essential, because it formative element. In order to understand the universe - he was convinced of this - one had to understand the rules according to which things act on one another, that is, the regulating force behind them. This is more important than understanding individual things. This approach of considering the ordering principles to be more important than individual details is also the basic conviction of the Yeongnam School, which has carried on the legacy of Yi Hwang through prominent personalities such as Yu Seong-ryong and Kim Seong-il.

The school is in contrast to the interpretation of Yi Is , the second great neo-Confucian thinker of his time, who puts the main emphasis on Ki, the life energy and realities.

In addition to his importance as a philosopher, Yi Hwang was also a talented calligrapher and poet. He has a collection of Sijo , a form of poetry that was very popular in Joseon Dynasty Korea .

selected Writings

Yi Hwang's writings comprise 316 works in 467 publications in 7 languages ​​and a total of 3,649 copies in libraries.

• 1681 - The ten diagrams of wisdom (Hangeul: 성학 십도 , Hanja: 聖 學 十 圖 ) (see below)
• Summary and explanation of the works of Zhu Xi (Hangeul: 주자 서 절요 , Hanja: 朱子 書 節 要 )
• Commentary on the writing from the heart (Hangeul: 심경석 의 , Hanja: 心 經 釋義 )
• History of Neoconfucianism in the Song , Yuan and Ming Dynasties (Hangeul: 송계원 명이 학통 록 , Hanja: 宋 季 元 明 理學 通 錄 )
• The four-seven debate (Hangeul: 사칠 속편 , Hanja: 四七 續篇 ): Discussion of Mengzi's philosophy with "Gi Dae-seung" (see below)
• Toegye (Yi Hwang): When the rooster crowed in the village by the river, the moon was still hanging in the eaves. Poems 1515–1570 . Ed .: Tobias and Juana Burghardt based on the preparatory work by Doo-Hwan and Regine Choi. Edition Delta, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-927648-34-0 .

The four-seven debate

"Four-Seven" stands for "the four beginnings" and "the seven feelings", which were postulated by the Chinese philosopher Mengzi .

The four beginnings	The seven feelings
Compassion is the beginning of humanity The feeling of shame and disgust is the beginning of righteousness Reverence and obedience is the beginning of decency Feeling that something is right or wrong is the beginning of wisdom	joy trouble Concern Adoration Sadness fear hate

Gi Dae-seung is a Korean philosopher and contemporary of Yi Hwang . There was an exchange of letters between the two about Mengzi's interpretation . "The Four-Seven Debate" is the collection of these letters.

Ten Diagrams for Learning from the Magi

When King Myeongjong died in 1567 at the age of 33, his younger half-brother Seonjo came to the throne. He was 15 years old at the time. Yi Hwang's duties included teaching King Seonjo. In order to bring the ideas of the old scholars closer to him, he presented their ideas graphically in the form of annotated diagrams.

The neo-Confucian script Ten Diagrams for Learning from the Wise (Hangeul: 성학 십도 , Hanja: 聖 學 十 圖 ) was compiled by Yi Hwang in 1568 .

Each chapter begins with a diagram that graphically symbolizes the following text. This is followed by the corresponding text of a classic, such as B. Zhu Xi (Chu Hsi). The chapter closes with a comment by Yi Hwang.

Yi Hwang's idea was to paint each of the 10 diagrams on a screen and to create a compact booklet for them. So the topics should be constantly remembered until the viewer has completely internalized the topics.

Honors

Yi Hwang on the 1000 won note currently in circulation in South Korea

• Toegyero, a street in downtown Seoul, was named after him.
• It is shown on the South Korean 1000 won note.
• The Taekwondo form run for the 2nd Cup is named in his honor.
• Many institutes and research departments at universities are named after Yi Hwang.
  • 1970 Institute for Toegye Studies in Seoul
  • 1979 Toegye Institute at Kyungpook National University
  • 1986 an institute and library at Dankook University .
  • There are other research institutes in Tokyo , Taiwan , Hamburg and the United States.

See also

• List of Korean Philosophers
• Yi I

Web links

Commons : Yi Hwang  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Yi Hwang in the catalog of the German National Library
• Daehwan, Noh: The Eclectic Development of Neo-Confucianism and Statecraft from the 18th to the 19th Century. In: Korea Journal. 2003, accessed June 12, 2014 . 
• Mark Peterson, Professor of Korean Studies, Brigham Young University: Master T'oegye, Yi Hwang, Philosopher (1501-1570). The Korea Society, 2013, accessed June 22, 2014 . 
• Michael C. Kalton: To Become a Sage - The essence of Neo-Confucianism. English translation of Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning . Columbia University Press, 1988, accessed June 17, 2014 . 
• Cyber ​​Dosan Seowon. Overview of Yi Hwang and his teachings. dosanseowon.com, accessed June 17, 2014 . 
• Sven. K. Herbers-Lee: An Introduction. Bibliography. Retrieved June 17, 2014 . 
• Dosan School. Retrieved June 17, 2014 (Korean). 
• Toigyes academic researcher. Retrieved June 17, 2014 (Korean). 
• Prof. Michael C. Kalton: Yi Hwang (T'oegye). Excerpt from an article in the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy from 1994. Retrieved July 9, 2014 . 
• Prof. Michael C. Kalton: To Become a Sage. Translation of the last great work by Yi Hwang into English. Retrieved July 9, 2014 . 

Individual evidence

Korean sources

1. ↑ ^{a b} Yi Hwang. In: Doosan Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 17, 2014 (Korean). 
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} 이황 (Yi Hwang). In: Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. The Academy of Korean Studies, accessed June 18, 2014 (Korean). 
3. ↑ 君子 有 終. Seoul Sinmun, May 18, 2005; accessed June 18, 2014 (Korean). 
4. ↑ 성학 십도 (Seonghaksipdo). In: Doosan Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 18, 2014 (Korean). 
5. ↑ 퇴계로 (Toegyero). In: Doosan Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 18, 2014 (Korean). 

English and German language sources

1. ↑ ^{a b} Mark Peterson Professor of Korean Studies, Brigham Young University: Master T'oegye, Yi Hwang, Philosopher (1501 - 1570). The Korea Society, 2013, archived from the original on July 14, 2014 ; accessed on June 25, 2014 (English, original website no longer available).  
2. ↑ Daehwan, Noh: The Eclectic Development of Neo-Confucianism and Statecraft from the 18th to the 19th Century. Korea Journal, 2003, accessed June 12, 2014 . 
3. ↑ Dosanseowon Confucian Academy ( 도산 서원 ). Korea Tourism Organization, accessed June 20, 2014 . 
4. ↑ Lee Hyun-hee, Park Sung-soo, Yoon Nae-hyun: New History of Korea . Jimoondang, Paju 2005, ISBN 89-88095-85-5 , pp. 392-393 .
5. ↑ Yi, Hwang 1501-1570. In: WorldCat Identities. Retrieved June 18, 2014 . 
6. ↑ A Collection of Gi Daeseung's Works. Gwang-ju -Tourpia, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; accessed on June 21, 2014 (English, original website no longer available). 
7. ↑ Eunjung Shin: Toegye Yi Hwang's Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning. London Korean Links, August 12, 2010, accessed June 20, 2014 . 
8. ↑ Michael C. Kalton: Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning. Columbia University Press, 1988, accessed June 18, 2014 . 
9. ↑ Toegyero. OpenStreetmap, accessed June 25, 2014 (English, Korean). 
10. ↑ Introduction to Banknotes. The Bank of Korea, archived from the original on December 31, 2014 ; accessed on May 25, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).  

Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Korean. Yi is the family name here, Hwang is the first name.