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Sijo
''Sijo'' (, ) is a Korean traditional poetic form that emerged during the Goryeo dynasty, flourished during the Joseon dynasty, and is still written today. Bucolic, metaphysical, and cosmological themes are often explored. The three lines average 14–16 syllables, for a total of 42–48: theme (3, 4,4,4); elaboration (3,4,4,4); counter-theme (3,5) and completion (4,3). ''Sijo'' may be narrative or thematic and introduces a situation in line 1, development in line 2, and twist and conclusion in line 3. The first half of the final line employs a "twist": a surprise of meaning, sound, or other device. ''Sijo'' is often more lyrical and personal than other East Asian poetic forms, and the final line can take a profound turn. Yet, "The conclusion of ''sijo'' is seldom epigrammatic or witty; a witty close to a sentence would have been foreign to the genius of stylized Korean diction in the great ''sijo'' periods."My close friends I count would be water and stone, pine tree, bamboo. ...
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Joseon
Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom was founded following the aftermath of the overthrow of Goryeo in what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul. The kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the rivers of Yalu River, Amnok and Tumen River, Tuman through the subjugation of the Jurchen people, Jurchens. During its 500-year duration, Joseon encouraged the entrenchment of Korean Confucianism, Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society. Neo-Confucianism was installed as the new state's ideology. Korean Buddhism, Buddhism was accordingly discouraged, and occasionally Buddhists faced persecution. Joseon consolidated its effective rule over the Korean peninsula and saw the he ...
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Korean Poetry
Korean poetry is poetry performed or written in the Korean language or by Korean people. Traditional Korean poetry is often sung in performance. Until the 20th century, much of Korean poetry was written in Hanja. History The performance of oral songs in the religious life of the ancient Korean people is vividly recorded in Chinese dynastic histories. At state assemblies the chief ritualist would tell the story of the divine origin of the founder, as evinced by foundation myths, and his extraordinary deeds in war and peace. Recited narrative was interspersed with primal songs that not only welcomed, entertained, and sent off gods and spirits. Thus orality and performance were significant features of vernacular poetry in ancient Korea. A famous surviving example dates to 17 BC, Yuri's ''Song of the Yellow Bird'' (Hwangjoga, 황조가/黃鳥歌), written to lament the departure of his Chinese concubine Chihui. Some later Korean poetry followed the style of Tang lyric poetry such ...
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Hwang Jini
Hwang Jini or Hwang Jin-yi (; 1506–1567), also known by her '' kisaeng'' name Myeongwol ("bright moon", ), was one of the most famous '' kisaeng'' of the Joseon period. She lived during the reign of King Jungjong. She was noted for her exceptional beauty, charming quick wit, extraordinary intellect, and her assertive and independent nature. She has become an almost myth-like figure in modern Korea, inspiring novels, operas, films, and television series. A crater on Venus, Hwangcini, is named after her. Biography Hwang was born around 1506 to a politician's son, Hwang Jin-sa (), and a woman named Jin Hyeon-geum () who was either a '' kisaeng'' or of '' Cheonmin'' status. The story goes that her parents met while her mother was doing laundry, but the two could not get married and she became the youngest illegitimate daughter of Hwang. Her father was from a noble family in Kaeseong. Legend has it that she was born as the daughter of a blind commoner. It is said that even at ...
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Kisaeng
''Kisaeng'' (), also called ''ginyeo'' (), were enslaved women from outcast or enslaved families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men of upper class. First emerging in Goryeo dynasty. were officially sanctioned by the state and employed in various public functions. While many worked in royal courts, others were stationed throughout the provinces. Trained in music, dance, poetry, and prose, kisaeng were often highly educated and skilled in the fine arts. Despite their low social status, they were respected as cultured artists. In addition to entertainment, some were assigned duties in medicine and needlework. hold an important place in the traditional cultural memory of the Joseon dynasty. Although most individual have faded from history, a few are remembered for their talents, intelligence, or loyalty. The most renowned among them is Hwang Jini, a celebrated 16th-century ''kisaeng'' known for her poetry and wit. Soci ...
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Chŏng Mong-ju
Chŏng Mong-ju (, January 13, 1337 – May 4, 1392), also known by his art name P'oŭn (), was a Korean statesman, diplomat, philosopher, poet, calligrapher and reformist of the Goryeo period. He was a major figure of opposition to the transition from the Goryeo (918–1392) to Joseon (1392–1897) periods. Being the last great personality from the late Goryeo period, exceptional in all aspects of academics, diplomacy, economics, military and politics, and trying to reform Goryeo while maintaining the declining kingdom, he opposed to the Goryeo general Yi Sŏng-gye (the first king of the future Joseon Dynasty) who was a radical revolutionary against the rotten Goryeo Dynasty. Due to his loyalty to Goryeo, Chŏng Mong-ju was eventually assassinated by five men of Yi Pang-wŏn (the fifth son of Yi Sŏng-gye and the third king of Joseon Dynasty). Biography Chŏng Mong-ju was born in Yeongcheon, Gyeongsang Province to a family from the Yeonil Jeong clan (). He was the eldest o ...
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Pansori
' () is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singer and a drummer. The term ' is a compounds of the Korean words and , the latter of which means "sound." However, ''pan'' has multiple meanings, and scholars disagree on which was the intended meaning when the term was coined. One meaning is "a situation where many people are gathered." Another meaning is "a song composed of varying tones." In music, Gugwangdae describes a long story that takes as little as three hours and as much as eight hours or more. It is one of the traditional forms of Korean music that mixes body movements and songs to the accompaniment of a buk drum played by a gosu. The dramatic content of the drama is changed according to various rhythms based on the melody of Korea's local music. Pansori was originally called the "sori", and it was called Taryeong, Japga (), Clown Song, and Geukga (). It was also commonly used in terms such as Changgeukjo (). In the late 20th century, the sorrowful ...
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Lee Eun-sang (poet)
Lee Eun-sang (; October 22, 1903 – September 18, 1982) was a Korean poet and historian. He was dedicated to the revival and modernization of ''sijo'', a form of Korean poetry."Lee Eunsang" LTI Korea Datasheet available at LTI Korea Library or online at: http://klti.or.kr/ke_04_03_011.do# Early life Lee Eun-sang was born on October 22, 1903, at Sangnam-dong, Masan, Korean Empire. In 1918, he graduated from the Changshin High School () which his father had established, and in 1923, he entered the department of liberal arts at Yonhee College, the predecessor of Yonsei University. He withdrew in 1923. He worked for Changshin School as a teacher for a time until he enrolled at Waseda University in Japan, majoring in history in 1925. He worked at Ewha Womans University as a professor from 1931 to 1932. After that, he worked for '' The Dong-a Ilbo'' and ''The Chosun Ilbo'' newspapers. In 1942, he was arrested on the suspicion of being implicated in the Korean Language Society Inci ...
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Yi Maechang
Yi Mae-chang (; 1573–1610), born Yi Hyang-geum (), was a famed kisaeng of the Buan area during the Joseon period. She was known by Maechang (), Gyesaeng (계생, 桂生/癸生), and Gyerang (계랑, 桂娘/癸娘). Biography She was born to a man Yi Tang-jong () who was the mayor of Buan-hyeon (now Buan County) in North Jeolla Province, and an unnamed woman. She was noted for her talent in playing the geomungo (a zither-like instrument related to the Chinese Guqin 古琴) and composing sijo and other poetry. As Hwang Jin-yi was known as one of the three wonders of Songdo, Mae-chang was known as one of the three wonders of Byeoksan. Because she was a gisaeng, she was not permitted to publish her works during her lifetime. One line from her Sijo remains, saying: "Yi Hwa-woo, who broke up with me while crying Do you think of me in the autumn leaves too? A thousand miles away, only dreams come and go." (이화우 흣뿌릴 제 울며 잡고 이별한 님. 추풍 � ...
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Encyclopedia Of Korean Culture
The ''Encyclopedia of Korean Culture'' () is a Korean-language encyclopedia published by the Academy of Korean Studies and DongBang Media Co. It was originally published as physical books from 1991 to 2001. There is now an online version of the encyclopedia that continues to be updated. Overview On September 25, 1979, a presidential order (No. 9628; ) was issued to begin work on compiling a national encyclopedia. Work began on compiling the encyclopedia on March 18, 1980. It began publishing books in 1991. The encyclopedia's first version was completed, with 28 volumes, in 1995. It continued to be revised beginning in 1996. In 2001, the digital edition EncyKorea was published on CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains computer data storage, data computers can read, but not write or erase. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold b ... and DVD. It launched an online version in 20 ...
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Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou, Jiangsu, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across the river to the south. Its population was 4,559,797 at the 2020 Chinese census, 2020 census and its urban area is home to 2,635,435 inhabitants, including three urban districts, currently in the agglomeration. Historically, Yangzhou was one of the wealthiest cities in China, known at various periods for its great merchant families, poets, artists, and scholars. Its name (lit. "Rising Prefecture") refers to its former position as the capital of the ancient Yangzhou (ancient China), Yangzhou prefecture in Administration of territory in dynastic China, imperial China. Yangzhou was one of the first cities to benefit from one of the earliest World Bank loans in China, used to construct Yangzhou therma ...
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Yi Gwangsu
Yi Gwangsu (; February 1, 1892 – October 25, 1950) was a Korean writer, Korean independence activist, and later collaborator with Imperial Japan. Yi is best known for his novel ' (''The Heartless''), which is often described as the first modern Korean novel. His art names were Chunwon and Goju. He adopted a Japanese name, Kayama Mitsurō (). Biography Yi Gwangsu was born on February 1, 1892 in Chŏngju, North Pyongan Province, Joseon. He was born into a poor ''yangban'' (upper class) family. He enrolled at a ''seodang'' (traditional school) in 1899. In 1902, he was orphaned at age 10, when both his parents died of the disease cholera. He was taken in by Pak Ch'an-myŏng (), a local leader of the native Korean religion Donghak. Through the religion, he was able to receive an education. In August 1905, he received a scholarship from the organization Iljinhoe to study abroad in Japan, and enrolled in the Daise Middle School () in March 1906. That same year, he returned t ...
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Choe Nam-seon
Choi () is a Korean family surname. As of the South Korean census of 2015, there were around 2.3 million people by this name in South Korea or roughly 4.7% of the population. In English-speaking countries, it is most often anglicized as ''Choi'', and sometimes also ''Chey'', ''Choe'' or ''Chwe''. Ethnic Koreans in the former USSR prefer the form ''Tsoi'' (''Tsoy'') especially as a transcription of the Cyrillic Цой. Origin *According to Samguk Sagi, the Gyeongju clan originates from chief Sobeoldori () of Goheochon (), one of six villages that united to found Silla; The Gyeongju clan traces their origin back to Choi Chiwon (857–10th century), a noted Korean scholar, philosopher, and poet of the late Unified Silla period (668–935). *One theory of origin suggests that Haeju clan's progenitor Ch'oe Ch'ung (984–1068) was given the surname during the reign of Goryeo king Mokjong. *The progenitor of the Chungju clan is General Choi Seung (), also known as Choi Woo (), ...
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