Yi Bingheogak (24 February 1759 — 3 March 1824) (

floruit ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

1809), was 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 ** ...

writer.

Early life

She was born on 24 February 1759 into the

Jeonju Yi clan The Jeonju Yi clan () is a Korean clan with the surname Yi. Their Bon-gwan is in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The clan includes the former House of Yi which ruled the Joseon dynasty and the Korean Empire. Their founder was Yi Han (). His des ...

(전주 이씨, 全州李氏), when

Yeongjo Yeongjo of Joseon (31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum (Korean: 이금, Hanja: 李昑), was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Sukjong, by his concubine Royal Noble Consort Suk ...

was in his 35th year of reign, to a family of scholars. Her father, Yi Chang-su, was a 13th great-grandson of

King Sejong Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...

through his 12th great-grandfather, Prince Yeonghae. Her father was a ''gamsa'' (監司) who dealt with the administrative affairs of

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

. Her mother was Lady Ryu of the Jinju Ryu clan, aunt of writer Ryu hui who was known for his work ''Muntong'' (''文通''). Yi married writer Seo Yu-bon at the age of 15 in 1773. Seo's family on his maternal side was part of the political faction

Soron Soron Shookarakshetra is a town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. History Kasganj district was formed on 17 April 2008 by splitting Kasganj, Patiali and Sahawar Tehsils from Etah district. Sant Tulsidas was born in the district and Amir Kh ...

. It is recorded in Seo's work ''Jwasosaninmunjip'' (''左蘇山人文集'') that Yi's talent in poetry was at a level where the two could exchange

Chinese poetry Chinese poetry is poetry written, spoken, or chanted in the Chinese language. While this last term comprises Classical Chinese, Standard Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, Yue Chinese, and other historical and vernacular forms of the language, its poetry ...

with each other. Life grew harder for Yi as a result of Seo's early retirement amidst political troubles, so she cultivated a tea garden to get out of poverty. Her work ''Gyuhap chongseo'' was written then. After Seo died in 1822, she wrote ''Jeomyeongsa'' (''絶命詞''), a poem about the end of life (in this case her husband's) for her husband. She did not comb her hair or wash her face and remained in her house. She died in 1824 at age 66, 2 years after Seo's death.

Works

She published the women's encyclopedia ''Gyuhap chongseo'' about household tasks in 1809. She was one of very few published women in Joseon-dynasty Korea, alongside poet Seo Yeongsuhap (1753–1823), and Confucian philosopher

Im Yunjidang Im Yunjidang (임윤지당, 任允摯堂; 1721-1793) was a Korean writer and neo-Confucian philosopher. She defended the right for a woman to become a Confucian master and argued that men and women did not differ in their human nature by interpreta ...

Family

* Father - Yi Chang-su (이창수, 李昌洙) * Mother - Lady Ryu of the Jinju Ryu clan (진주 류씨, 晉州柳氏) ** Uncle - Ryu Han-gyu (류한규, 柳漢奎) ** Aunt - Yi Sajudang (사주당, 師朱堂), Lady Yi of the Jeonju Yi clan (전주 이씨) *** Cousin - Ryu Hui (류희, 柳僖) (1773 - 1837) * Siblings ** Older brother - Yi Byeong-jeong (이병정) (1742 - 1804) * Husband - Seo Yu-bon (서유본, 徐有本) (1 March 1762 - 26 August 1822)He is the older brother of

Seo Yu-gu Seo Yu-gu (Hangul: 서유구, Hanja: 徐有榘; 1764 - 1845) was a Korean Neo-Confucian scholar, agricultural administrator and encyclopedist in the Korean Joseon Dynasty. His pen name was Pungseok (풍석, 楓石, meaning Maple Stone), and his post ...

** Daughter - Lady Seo of the Daegu Seo clan (대구 서씨, 大丘徐氏) *** Son-in-law - Yun Chi-dae (윤치대, 尹致大)

References

External links

* Pae-yong Y
Women in Korean History 한국 역사 속의 여성들
Korean culture Korean calligraphers 19th-century Korean women writers Women calligraphers {{Korea-writer-stub