Yi Saek (, June 17, 1328 – June 17, 1396), also known by his

art name An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin Chinese), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by artists, poets and writers in the Sinosp ...

Mogŭn (), was a Korean writer and poet. His family belonged to the Hansan Yi clan. Yi Saek played a crucial role in the introduction and localisation of philosophy of

Zhu Xi Zhu Xi ( zh, c=朱熹; ; October 18, 1130April 23, 1200), formerly romanized Chu Hsi, was a Chinese philosopher, historian, politician, poet, and calligrapher of the Southern Song dynasty. As a leading figure in the development of Neo-Confuci ...

. He studied

Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, which originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) i ...

Yuan Dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and opened an academy after his return to

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

, and from his academy the founders of

Joseon Dynasty 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 w ...

were educated. Yi was one of the most significant cultural figures in the country. Aiming to solve the social problems facing Goryeo, Yi fulfilled his responsibilities as a scholar, educator and politician based on his experience studying at Guozijian, a national Chinese university. While leading Sungkyunkwan academy, Yi developed a curriculum that reformed the academy's evaluation methods, which was innovative even by today's standards. Yi Saek played a very important role in introducing Neo-Confucianism to Goryeo, which was the theoretical background for the founding of Joseon. Yi Saek was patronized by kings during the Koryo period (918–1392). He promoted education based on Confucian texts. Yi Saek is also responsible for establishing the Confucian tradition of public mourning. He favored Confucianism in public affairs. Towards the end of his life, Yi Saek was the respected head of the Confucian National Academy. He is remembered as one of the "Three Hermit Scholars" devoted to Confucian principles. Many of his disciples, such as Chŏng To-jŏn and Kwŏn Kŭn, used Neo-Confucianism as the ideological basis for overthrowing the

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

kingdom of

and establishing Confucian Joseon. However, Yi Saek himself remained loyal to the Goryeo Dynasty and didn't believe the wiping out of Buddhism, as Chŏng To-jŏn insisted, would be of any benefit. Yi Saek believed in the co-existence of the "Three Disciplines":

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, Religious Confucianism, religion, theory of government, or way of li ...

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

. Yi Saek resigned from all political positions after the founding of the Joseon Dynasty. Yi Saek left various poetry, essays and letters compiled in ''The Collected Works of Mogŭn''.

Family

* Father ** Yi Kok (; 25 August 1298 – 28 January 1351) * Mother ** Lady Kim of the Hamchang Kim clan () * Sibling(s) ** Older sister – Lady Yi of the Hansan Yi clan () ** Younger sister – Lady Yi of the Hansan Yi clan () ** Younger sister – Lady Yi of the Hansan Yi clan () ** Younger sister – Lady Yi of the Hansan Yi clan () * Wife and children ** Lady Kwŏn of the Andong Kwŏn clan (); daughter of Kwŏn Chung-dal () *** Son – Yi Chong-dŏk () *** Son – Yi Chong-hak (; 1361 – 10 September 1392) *** Son – Yi Chong-sŏn ()

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Lee Dae-ro in the 1983 MBC TV series '' The King of Chudong Palace''. *Portrayed by Jeon In-taek in the 2005–2006 MBC TV series '' Shin Don''. * Portrayed by Park Ji-il in the 2014 KBS1 TV series '' Jeong Do-jeon''. * Portrayed by Kim Jong-soo in the 2015–2016 SBS TV series ''

Six Flying Dragons ''Six Flying Dragons'' () is a South Korean television series starring Yoo Ah-in, Kim Myung-min, Shin Se-kyung, Byun Yo-han, Yoon Kyun-sang and Chun Ho-jin. It aired on SBS on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 for 50 episodes beginning on Oc ...

''.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yi, Saek Goryeo Confucianists Korean male poets 1328 births 1396 deaths 14th-century Korean philosophers 14th-century Korean poets 14th-century Korean calligraphers People from North Gyeongsang Province

Family

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References