''Sadae'' (''lit.'' "serving-the-Great,"
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
: 사대
Hanja
Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom.
(, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...
: ) is a
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
term which is used in pre-modern contexts.
[Armstrong, Charles K. (2007). ] ''Sadae'' is a Confucian concept, based on
filial piety
In Confucianism, Chinese Buddhism, and Daoist ethics, filial piety (, ''xiào'') (Latin: pietas) is a virtue of respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors. The Confucian ''Classic of Filial Piety'', thought to be written around the late W ...
, that describes a reciprocal hierarchical relationship between a senior and a junior, such as a
tributary relationship. The term is used as a descriptive label for bilateral foreign relations between
Imperial China
The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapte ...
and
Joseon dynasty
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
Korea. Korea's ''sadae'' toward China was first employed by Silla in the 7th century, but it was not fully implemented until the Confucianization of Korea in the early Joseon dynasty. Korea's ''sadae'' toward China from the 7th century to the 13th century was only nominal.
Etymology
The historical term is derived from the
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
''shi da'' (Korean, ''sadae'') as used by the
philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
Mencius
Mencius ( ); born Mèng Kē (); or Mèngzǐ (; 372–289 BC) was a Chinese Confucianism, Confucian Chinese philosophy, philosopher who has often been described as the "second Sage", that is, second to Confucius himself. He is part of Confuc ...
. ''Sadae'' literally means "dealing with the great" or "serving the great."
[Pratt, Keith L. ''et al.'' (1999). ''Korea: a historical and cultural dictionary,'' p. 394.]
The neutral term is distinguished from the pejorative "''
sadaejuui
''Sadaejuui'' (lit. "thing-big-ism", meaning: "serving-the-Great ideology"; Hangul: 사대주의, Hanja: 事大主義, ) is a largely pejorative Korean term which evolved in the mid-20th century from a more widely used historical concept.Armstr ...
''", which was invented by early 20th century Korean nationalists. The genesis of the term "''sadae''" arises in the work of the Chinese philosopher
Mencius
Mencius ( ); born Mèng Kē (); or Mèngzǐ (; 372–289 BC) was a Chinese Confucianism, Confucian Chinese philosophy, philosopher who has often been described as the "second Sage", that is, second to Confucius himself. He is part of Confuc ...
:
*
*Mencius - Liang Hui Wang II
Overview
''Sadae'' describes a foreign policy characterized by the various ways a small country acknowledges the strength of a greater power like that of China. ''Sadae'' is made manifest in the actions of the weaker state as it conveys goodwill and respect through its envoys.
The utility of the ''sadae'' concept in Korea was recognized from the period of
Three Kingdoms of Korea
Samhan or the Three Kingdoms of Korea () refers to the three kingdoms of Goguryeo (고구려, 高句麗), Baekje (백제, 百濟), and Silla (신라, 新羅). Goguryeo was later known as Goryeo (고려, 高麗), from which the modern name ''Kor ...
to 1895;
and it is demonstrated in the relationship of mid-
Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
Korea towards the
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
of China. The Joseon Dynasty made every effort to maintain a friendly relationship with
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
for reasons having to do with
realpolitik
''Realpolitik'' (; ) refers to enacting or engaging in diplomatic or political policies based primarily on considerations of given circumstances and factors, rather than strictly binding itself to explicit ideological notions or moral and ethical ...
and with an idealized Confucian worldview. ''Sadae'' construes China as the center of a Confucian moral universe.
As a foundation of diplomacy, the Joseon kingdom presumed that the Korean state was positioned within a Sinocentristic milieu. The Joseon foreign policy was organized around maintaining stable Joseon-Chinese relations in the period from 1392 through 1895. The concept of ''sadae'' is contrasted with limited trade relationships or ''kyorin'' diplomacy (교린정책; ''lit.'' "neighborly relations") which marked Joseon-Japanese relations in this period.
20th century re-interpretation
The concept of ''sadae'' was rejected in the writings of
polemicist
Polemic () is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called ''polemics'', which are seen in arguments on controversial topic ...
Shin Chaeho
Sin Chaeho, or Shin Chae-ho (; November 7, 1880 – February 21, 1936), was a Korean independence activist, historian, anarchist, nationalist, and a founder of Korean nationalist historiography (민족 사학, ''minjok sahak''; sometimes shorten ...
and other Korean nationalists in the 20th century. Shin is known for having argued that the ''sadae'' effectively functioned in two ways:
* to devalue the ethnic origins of the Korean people and state
[Robinson, p. 129.]
* to subjugate Korean history within a Confucian interpretive framework
His revisionist writings sought to deny the relevance of ''sadae'' as an important element of Korean history.
[Robinson, pp. 131-132.]
See also
*
Sadaejuui
''Sadaejuui'' (lit. "thing-big-ism", meaning: "serving-the-Great ideology"; Hangul: 사대주의, Hanja: 事大主義, ) is a largely pejorative Korean term which evolved in the mid-20th century from a more widely used historical concept.Armstr ...
*
Joseon diplomacy Joseon diplomacy was the foreign policy of the Joseon dynasty of Korea from 1392 through 1910; and its theoretical and functional foundations were rooted in Neo-Confucian scholar-bureaucrats, institutions and philosophy.
Taejo of Joseon established ...
*
Gyorin
Gyorin (lit. "neighborly relations") was a neo-Confucian term developed in Joseon Korea. The term was intended to identify and characterize a diplomatic policy which establishes and maintains amicable relations with neighboring states. It was c ...
*
Tribute
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...
*
Finlandization
Finlandization ( fi, suomettuminen; sv, finlandisering; german: Finnlandisierung; et, soomestumine; russian: финляндизация, finlyandizatsiya) is the process by which one powerful country makes a smaller neighboring country refrai ...
Notes
References
*
Armstrong, Charles K. (2007). ''The Koreas.'' London: CRC Press. ;
OCLC 71808039* Kang, Etsuko Hae-jin. (1997). ''Diplomacy and Ideology in Japanese-Korean Relations: from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century.'' Basingstoke, Hampshire; Macmillan. ;
* Levinson, David and Karen Christensen. (2002). ''Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan Rawli ...
. ;
* Mansourov, Alexandre Y
"Will Flowers Bloom without Fragrance? Korean-Chinese Relations,"''Harvard Asia Quarterly'' (Spring 2009).
*
Pratt, Keith L.,
Richard Rutt
Cecil Richard Rutt CBE (27 August 192527 July 2011) was an English Roman Catholic priest and a former Anglican bishop.
Rutt spent almost 20 years of his life serving as an Anglican missionary in South Korea, a country for which he developed ...
, and
James Hoare
James Edward Hoare (born 1943) is a British academic and historian specialising in Korean and Chinese studies, and a career diplomat in the British Foreign Office.
Academia
Dr. Hoare is a graduate of London's School of Oriental and African Studi ...
. (1999). ''Korea: a historical and cultural dictionary,'' Richmond: Curzon Press. ;
OCLC 245844259* Robinson, Michael. (1984) "National Identity and the Thought of Sin Ch'ae-ho: Sadaejuüi and Chuch'e in History and Politics." ''Journal of Korean Studies'' 5: 121–142.
* Robinson, Michael. (1988). ''Cultural Nationalism in Colonial Korea, 1920–1925.'' Seattle:
University of Washington Press
The University of Washington Press is an American academic publishing house. The organization is a division of the University of Washington, based in Seattle. Although the division functions autonomously, they have worked to assist the universi ...
.
OCLC 18106164*
{{Authority control
Political theories
Korean philosophy
Ideologies
Korean Confucianism