Choe Manri (sometimes spelled
Choi Malli) was a deputy minister for education in the Privy Council who spoke against the creation of
hangulHangul is the native alphabet of the Korean language, as distinguished from the logographic Sino-Korean hanja system...
(then called
Eonmun) together with other
ConfucianKorean Confucianism is the form of Confucianism developed in Korea. One of the most substantial influences in Korean intellectual history was the introduction of Confucian thought as part of the cultural exchange from China...
scholars in 1444. He made the following submission that year to
King SejongSejong the Great was the Third king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He is best remembered for creating the Korean alphabet Hangul, despite strong opposition from the scholars educated in hanja...
against
hangul:
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Choe Manri (sometimes spelled
Choi Malli) was a deputy minister for education in the Privy Council who spoke against the creation of
hangulHangul is the native alphabet of the Korean language, as distinguished from the logographic Sino-Korean hanja system...
(then called
Eonmun) together with other
ConfucianKorean Confucianism is the form of Confucianism developed in Korea. One of the most substantial influences in Korean intellectual history was the introduction of Confucian thought as part of the cultural exchange from China...
scholars in 1444. He made the following submission that year to
King SejongSejong the Great was the Third king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He is best remembered for creating the Korean alphabet Hangul, despite strong opposition from the scholars educated in hanja...
against
hangul:
Classical ChineseClassical Chinese or Literary Chinese is a traditional style of written Chinese based on the grammar and vocabulary of ancient Chinese, making it different from any modern spoken form of Chinese...
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English translation |
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| “Choe Manri, Deputy Minister for Education in the Privy Council, and others make this submission: Your Majesty's subjects observe that the creation of Eonmun is magical […] but in our limited vision, we have some doubts which await Your Majesty's decision. |
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| “Our dynasty, from our ancestors, has followed the great and complied with the standards of China. Now we are of the same script and the same measure, it is detrimental to conformity to create a new orthography such as Eonmun. It has been claimed that Eonmun are based on old writing and are not new: however, though the form of Eonmun characters imitate the ancient script, but the phonetics are against tradition and are without precedence. If the Chinese hear about this and present their objections, it shall be our shame in serving the great and admiring China. |
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| “Within the Chinese realms, though customs may differ, but the script never deviates because of the dialectal speech The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by scholars of language. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other...
. Though western barbarianBarbarian is a term for an uncivilized person, often used pejoratively, either in a general reference to a member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage...
s such as the MongolsThe name Mongol specifies one or several ethnic groups, now mainly located in Mongolia, China, and Russia.-Definition:...
, the TangutThe Tangut identified with the state of Western Xia were traditionally thought of as a Qiangic-speaking people who moved to northwestern China sometime before the 10th century AD. Recent research indicated that the term “Tangut” most likely represented the “Donghu people;” “-t” in Mongolian...
, the JurchensThe Jurchens The Jurchens The Jurchens , 녀진 Nyŏjin (North Korea) were a Tungusic people who inhabited the region of Manchuria (Northeast China) until the 17th century, when they adopted the name Manchu...
, and the JapaneseThe are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries are referred to as...
all have their own script, but it is a matter of being barbaric and does not merit consideration. The saying is "use XiaThe Xia Dynasty of China is the first dynasty to be described in ancient historical records such as Records of the Grand Historian and Bamboo Annals. The Xia Dynasty was established by the legendary Yu the Great after Shun gave his throne to him...
[dynasty culture] to convert the barbarians" - who has ever heard of adapting to their ways? Through its various dynasties, China has always taken us to be the descendants of GijaJizi was a semi-legendary Chinese sage who is said to have ruled Gojoseon by theory in the 12th century BCE. His family name was Zi/Ja and given name was Xuyu/Suyu .-Legend:...
, the legendary Chinese Viscount of Ji because our artefacts, customs, and rituals are similar to those of China. Now if we follow the barbarians to create Eonmun and desert China, we shall be ‘deserting the fragrant herbs for the excrement of insects’, and obstruct the development of our civilization! |
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| “[…] The ancient Confucian sages say: ‘The various diversions take their toll on the spirit.’ As for writing, it is the most relevant business to a Confucian scholar. But if it becomes a diversion, it will also take its toll on the spirit. Now though Your Royal Highness has achieved some of the best of virtues, there are still sagely studies to be pursued. Though Eonmun could be beneficial, it is only one of the six arts for an accomplished scholar, and has nothing to do with the political art of governance. Spending too much thought and effort on this is a waste of time, detrimental to the timely pursuit of scholarship.” |