| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Yi Hwang | |
|---|---|
| Korean Name | |
| Revised Romanization/ McCune-Reischauer | I Hwang |
| Hangul | 이황 |
| Hanja | 李況 |
Yi Hwang ( 1501- 1570) was one of the two most prominent Korean Confucian scholars of the Joseon Dynasty, the other being his younger contemporary Yi I (Yulgok). Yi Hwang is often referred to by his pen name Toegye (퇴계; 退溪 "Retreating Creek "). His courtesy name was Gyeongho (경호; 景浩).
Yi Hwang was born in On'gye-ri (now Tosan), North Gyeongsang Province, on November 25, 1501. He was a child prodigy. At the age of six, he started to learn the Book of One Thousand letters from an old gentleman in his neighborhood, and at 12 he learned the Analects of Confucius from his uncle, Yi U. At the age of 19, he obtained the two-volume Seongni Taejeon, a great compendium of neo-ConfucianismNeo-Confucianism ( Pinyin: Lxue) is a term for a form of Confucianism that was primarily developed during the Song dynasty, but which can be traced back to Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang dynasty. The term should not be mistaken for New Confucianism which is by Hu Guang , and experienced a process of great awakening. He became devoted to SongThis page is about musical songs. For other meanings, see Song (disambiguation). A song is a relatively short musical composition for the human voice (possibly accompanied by other musical instruments), which features words ( lyrics). It is typically for thought.
He came to SeoulSeoul Special City Korean Name Revised RomanizationSeoul Teukbyeolsi McCune-ReischauerSoul T'ukpyolshi Hangul Hanja [Note: there are no Hanja for "Seoul" ] Short NameSeoul (Soul; ) Statistics Population10,276,968 (2003) Area614 kmē(approximate) Government when he was 23 years old to study at the National Academy, and passed the preliminary provincial Civil Service examination with top honours at the age of 33, continuing his scholarly pursuits whilst working for the Joseon government. Indeed, he continued to work for the government throughout his life, moving through 29 different positions. His integrity made him relentless as he took part in purges of corrupt government officials. In a report to the king following an inspection tour of Chungcheong Province as a royal secret inspector, he ruthlessly condemned a provincial official who, ignoring an order from an honest magistrate, busied himself in illicitly building a fortune by taking possession of government articles. On numerous occasions he was even exiled from the capital for his firm commitment to principle.
In 1549Events July Kett's Rebellion Francis Xavier arrives in Japan. Salvador established, first capital of Brazil Petrus Canisius starts the Counter-Reformation in Bavaria Births Deaths November 10 Pope Paul III December 21 Marguerite of Navarre, Queen of Navar he retired back to his home and lived there until his death. There he began to build the Dosan Seowon , a private Confucian academy offering instruction in the classics and honouring the sages with regular memorial rites. Unfortunately he died in 1570 and never lived to see the opening of his academy, although his students continued to work after his death. Tosan Sowon opened in 1574Events April 14 Battle of Mookerheyde. Spanish forces under Sancho de Avila defeat the rebel forces of Louis of Nassau. Louis is killed. May 30 On the death of King Charles IX of France, he is succeeded by his brother King Henry of Poland, who becomes Kin, and remains in use to this day.
On his death, Yi Hwang was posthumously promoted to the highest ministerial rank, and his mortuary tablet is housed in a Confucian shrine as well as in the shrine of King Seonjo . He was the author of many books on Confucianism, and he also published a "shijo" collection, a short poetic form popular with the literati of the Choson period. During forty years of public life he served four kings ( Junjong , Injong , Myeongjong and Seonjo ), and his interpretation of the "li-chi" dualism gained him fame in Korea and beyond.
Toegyero -- a street in central Seoul -- is named after him, and he is depicted on the South KoreaThe Republic of Korea (ROK; Korean: Daehan Minguk ( Hangul: ; Hanja: )), commonly known as South Korea is a country in East Asia, covering the southern half of the Korean peninsula. To the north, the Republic of Korea borders North Korea, with which it fon 1,000- WonWon is the official currency used in both South Korea and North Korea. Their exchange values differ, however. Full names Symbols Abbr. North Korean won n or Wn KPW South Korean won or W KRW Historically, North and South Korean won have been divided into 1 note.
His works include: