Choe Manri
Choe Manri 최만리 of the Haeju Choe clan | |
|---|---|
| Born | ?? Haeju-si, , Kingdom of Goryeo |
| Died | 23 October 1445 , Gyeonggi-do, Kingdom of Joseon |
| Other names | Choe Malli, Choi Malli |
| Education | Saengwonsi (생원시) in 1419 (passed) Liberal Arts Examination (문과 급제) in 1427 |
| Occupation | Warrior, Politician thinker, Confucian scholar, Jurist, Associate Professor in the Hall of Worthies |
| Era | King Sejong of Joseon the Great |
| Known for | Made the following submission to against King Sejong' hangul |
| Spouse(s) | Lady, of the Junghwa Yang clan |
| Children |
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| Parents |
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| Relatives | Yun-Hoe (cousin) Yi Ui-seok (son-in-law) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Malli |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Mal'li |
| Pen name | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Ganghosanin |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kanghosanin |
| Courtesy name | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Jamyeong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'amyŏng |
| Posthumous name | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Gonghye |
| McCune–Reischauer | Konghy'e |
Choe Manri (Korean: 최만리; Hanja: 崔萬里, d. 23 October 1445) or sometimes spelled Choi Malli, was an associate professor in the Hall of Worthies (집현전 부제학, 集賢殿副提學) who spoke against the creation of hangul (then called eonmun) together with other Confucian scholars in 1444. He made the following submission that year to King Sejong against hangul:[1][2][3]
His protest against Hangul[]
 |
Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
| Classical Chinese | English translation |
|---|---|
| 集賢殿副提學崔萬里等 上疏曰 臣等伏觀 諺文制作 至爲神妙 創物運智 瓊出千古 然而以臣等區區管見 尙有可疑者敢布危懇 謹疏于後 伏惟 聖裁 | “Choe Manri, Deputy Minister for Education in the Hall of Worthies, and others make this submission: Your Majesty's subjects observe that eonmun is a creation of sublime wisdom and its beauty has never been seen before. However, in our limited vision, we have some doubts that are to be listed below, which await Your Majesty's decision. |
| 我朝自祖宗以來 至誠事大 一遵華制 今當同文同軌之時 創作諺文 有該觀聽 儻曰諺文 皆本古字非新字也 則字形雖倣古之篆文 用音合字盡反於古 實無所據 若流中國 或有非議者 豈不有愧於事大慕華 | “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 appalling to create a new orthography such as eonmun. If one claims that eonmun is based on old writing and is not new: however, though the form of eonmun characters imitate the ancient seal script, but the phonetics are against tradition and in truth are without antecedent. If the Chinese hear about this and present their objections, it shall be our shame in serving the great and admiring China. |
| 自古九州之內 風土雖異 未有因方言而別爲文字者 雖蒙古西夏女眞日本西蕃之類各有其字 是皆夷狄事耳無足道者 傳曰用夏變夷 未聞變於夷者也 歷代中國皆以我國箕子遺風 文物禮欒 比擬中華 今別作諺文 捨中國自同於夷狄是所謂棄蘇合之香而取螗螂之丸也 豈非文明之大累哉 | “Within the Chinese realms, though customs may differ, but the script never deviates because of the dialectal speech. Though western barbarians such as the Mongols, the Tangut, the Jurchens, the Japanese, and the Tibetans all have their own script, but it is a matter of being barbaric and does not merit consideration. The saying is "use Xia [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 Gija, the legendary Chinese Viscount of Ji because our artefacts, customs, and rituals are similar to those of China. Now if we were to create separate eonmun, discard China and make ourselves alike to the barbarians, we would as it were ‘desert the fragrant herbs for the dung of a praying mantis.’ How could this not be a setback to our civilization! |
| 若曰如刑殺獄辭 以吏讀文字書之 則不知文理之愚民 一字之差 容或致冤 今以諺文直書其言 讀使聽之 則雖至愚之人 悉皆易曉而無抱屈者 然自古中國言與文同 獄訟之間 冤枉甚多 借以我國言之 獄囚之解吏讀者 親讀招辭 知其誣而不勝棰楚 多有枉服者 是非不知招辭之文意而被冤也明矣 若然則雖用諺文 何異於此 是知刑獄之平不平 在於獄吏之如何 而不在於言與文之同不同也 欲以諺文而平獄辭 臣等未見其可也 | "Some might claim that when it comes to the criminal justice system, for testimonies written in Idu, a script that records Korean words through its equivalent meaning or sound in Chinese, the ignorant illiterates might be wronged by the mere nuances in words. Now, with the help of eonmun, (the judiciary) can write directly and inform the prisoners. Even the most ignorant commoners will all no longer be unfairly treated. That being said, China has been using the same spoken and written language, yet wrongful convictions are still pervasive. By taking this as an example, Korean prisoners who master Idu are able to read their testimonies, but they would still often submit themselves to misjudges when being tortured, even having known that they are wronged. It should be more than clear that the miscarriage of justice has nothing to do with one's understanding of what was written in one's testimony. If that is the case, then the situation would still be of no different than that even if eonmun were to be implemented. Now (we) know that the fairness of the justice system depends on how do the prison officers perform their duties, instead of whether the written and the spoken languages are of the same script. We do not regard eonmun as a tool to equalise the judiciary. |
| 先儒云 凡百玩好 皆奪志 至於書札 於儒者事最近 然一向好著 亦自喪志 今東宮雖德性成就 猶當潛心聖學 益求其未至 諺文縱曰有益 特文士六藝之一耳 況萬萬無一利於治道 而乃硏精費思 竟日移時實有損於時敏之學也 臣等俱以文墨末技 待罪侍從 心有所懷 不敢含默 謹罄肺腑 仰瀆聖聰 | “[…] 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 devoted to, and (Your Royal Highness should) further pursue what hasn't been attained. Though eonmun could be beneficial, it is only one of the six arts for an accomplished scholar, not to mention that it does not conduce 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. We have been serving Your Majesty with our most incompetent ability to write, yet do not have the audacity to remain silent. We would like to manifest our most sincere thoughts wholeheartedly. (And please excuse us should the submission ) profane Your Majesty's divine omniscience." |
Family[]
- Father: Choe-Ha (최하, 崔荷)
- Grandfather: Choe An-hae (최안해)
- Mother: Lady, of the Chungju Ji clan (부인 충주 지씨)
- Grandfather: Ji Yong-su (지용수, 池龍壽)
- Little brorher: Choe Man-hyeon (최만현, 崔萬玹)
- Grandfather: Ji Yong-su (지용수, 池龍壽)
- Wife: Lady, of the Junghwa Yang clan (부인 중화 양씨); daughter of Yang-Mi (양미, 楊美)
- 1st son: Choe-Gak (최각, 崔塙)
- 2nd son: Choe-Jeong (최정, 崔埥; 1429–1466)
- Daughter-in-law: Lady, of the Yeoheung Yi clan (부인 여흥 이씨; 1429–1505)
- 3rd son: Choe-Dang (최당, 崔塘)
- 4th son: Choe-Eun (최은, 崔垠)
- 5th son: Choe-Yeon (최연, 崔堧)
- Grandson: Choe Se-geol (최세걸); become the great-grandfather of Choe Gyeong-chang (최경창) and 7th generation ancestor of Choe Gyu-seo, Duje Chungjeong (최규서 충정공)
- 1st daughter: Lady Choe (부인 최씨)
- Son-in-law: Yi Ui-seok (이의석)
In popular culture[]
- Portrayed by Kwon Tae-won in the 2011 SBS TV series Deep Rooted Tree.
- Portrayed by Lee Dae-yeon in the 2015 MBC TV series Splash Splash Love.
- Portrayed by Ahn Shin-woo in the 2016 KBS1 TV series Jang Yeong-sil.
References[]
- ^ Lee, Sang-baek (1957). Hangul: The Origin of Korean Alphabet. Seoul: Tong-Mun Kwan.
- ^ 漢字文化圈的脫漢運動
- ^ Another translation (English)
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