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Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn ( IPA: [tɕʰø tɕʰiwʌn] ; Korean :  최치원 ; Hanja :  崔致遠 ; 857–10th century) was a Korean philosopher and poet of the late medieval Unified Silla period (668-935). He studied for many years in Tang China , passed the Tang imperial examination , and rose to the high office there before returning to Silla, where he made ultimately futile attempts to reform the governmental apparatus of a declining Silla state.

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37-495: Haeun can refer to: Haeun (Jeungsando), a principle of the Jeungsando faith. Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn , a Silla philosopher sometimes known by his pen name Haeun Haeundae-gu , Busan Kim Hae-woon (born 1973), South Korean footballer Ha-eun , Korean feminine given name Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

74-611: A government official and historian named Kim Bu-sik with his team of junior scholars. The document has been digitized by the National Institute of Korean History and is available online with Modern Korean translation in Hangul . Samguk sagi is critical to the study of Korean history during the Three Kingdoms and Unified Silla periods. Not only because this work, and its Buddhist counterpart Samguk yusa , are

111-410: A hermit scholar residing in and around Korea's Haeinsa temple. Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn was also known by the literary names Haeun ( IPA: [hɛːun] ; Korean:  해운 ; Hanja:  海雲 ; lit.  "Sea Cloud"), or, more commonly, Koun ( IPA: [ko.un] ; Korean:  고운 ; Hanja:  孤雲 ; lit.  "Lonely Cloud"). He is recognized today as

148-524: A primary source of information on Silla Buddhism. One well known anecdote regarding Ch'oe in these years regards a putative piece of verse he dispatched to Wang Kŏn , the founder of the Goryeo . Apparently convinced by the greatness of Wang Kŏn, notably by the promulgation of his Ten Injunctions, Ch'oe came to believe that Wang Kŏn had inherited the Mandate of Heaven to succeed the declining Silla dynasty as

185-399: A rich body of folklore, attributing to him fantastic deeds and supernatural powers. In the late 19th century, as Korean intellectuals began to reexamine their intellectual and historical roots in the face of increasing national weakness and foreign encroachment, there arose a rising critique of Korea's historical deference to China. The most articulate voice of such nationalist sentiment was

222-415: A scroll ( 권 ; 卷 ). They are listed as follows: 12 scrolls, Nagi/Silla bongi, 나기/신라 본기, 羅紀/新羅本紀. 10 scrolls, Yeogi/Goguryeo bongi, 여기/고구려 본기, 麗紀/高句麗本紀. 6 scrolls, Jegi/Baekje bongi, 제기/백제 본기, 濟紀/百濟本紀. 3 scrolls, Yeonpyo, 연표, 年表. 9 scrolls, Ji, 지, 志. 10 scrolls, Yeoljeon, 열전, 列傳. Portions of the work have appeared in various English language books and articles, notably: Translation of

259-950: Is known to have dwelled in such places as Namsan in Gyeongju , Bingsan in Gangju, Cheongnyang Temple in Habju, Ssanggye Temple in Jirisan , and a cottage in Habpohyeon." Haeundae District of modern Busan takes its name from Ch'oe's pen-name Haeun as he purportedly was enamored of the location and so built a pavilion there overlooking the beach. A piece of Ch'oe's calligraphy engraved on a rock still survives there. Eventually Ch'oe settled at Haeinsa Temple where his elder brother Hyŏnjun ( 현준 ; 賢俊 ) served as abbot. His later years are most notable for his lengthy stele inscriptions, hagiographies to Silla's most noted Buddhist priests that have proved

296-1302: Is now claimed by the Gyeongju Ch'oe clan as their founder. The location of his home in Gyeongju is now a small temple hall dedicated to his memory. The relatively extensive extant writings of Ch'oe stand as witness to his importance in late Silla society while also ensuring him a degree of importance among latter generations that has escaped his contemporaries, many of whom, like him, were talented poets, learned officials, and diligent in their attempts at reform. Besides his lost works like Jewang yeondaeryeok (Chronological History of Monarchs) and others, Ch'oe's surviving writings may be divided roughly into four main categories: official prose (to include memorials, dispatches, etc. during his service both in Tang China and Silla); private prose (on such topics as tea drinking and natural scenery); poetry; and stele inscriptions. Shortly following Ch'oe's return to Silla in 885 he compiled his various writings, both official and unofficial (to include some poetry) and presented it to King Heongang . The preface to that compilation survives allowing us to know its original contents. However,

333-675: Is possible Kim Busik was ignorant of them, or scorned to quote a Japanese source. In contrast, he lifts generously from the Chinese dynastic chronicles and even unofficial Chinese records, most prominently the Book of Wei , Sanguo Zhi , Jin Shu , Jiu Tangshu , Xin Tangshu , and the Zizhi Tongjian . The Samguk sagi is divided into 50 books. Originally, each of them was written on

370-507: Is ultimately conjecture. Several streams emerged from Ch'oe in the long centuries following his death. On the one hand, as Korea became increasingly Confucianized in the late Goryeo and most especially the Joseon period, Ch'oe became one of the most lauded members of Korea's pantheon of Confucianists, with pride of place in the nation's Confucian temple. King Hyeonjong (r. 1009–1031), recognizing Ch'oe's Confucian accomplishments, granted him

407-406: Is unknown, though he was still living as late as 924, the date of one of his surviving stele engravings. One fantastic account relates that Ch'oe's straw slippers were discovered at the edge of the forest on Mt. Gaya ( Gayasan ), the location of Haeinsa, and that Ch'oe had become a Daoist immortal and ascended into the heavens. More grounded historical theories posit that he committed suicide, but this

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444-608: The Koun Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn chŏn ( 고운 최치원전 ; 孤雲崔致遠傳 ). Likewise, in the early 20th century Ch'oe was put forward as the author of the Yuseolgyeonghak daejang ( 유설경학대장 ; 類說經學隊仗 ), a Confucian pedagogical work. Based upon the nature of the language and expressions employed, scholars are also fairly unanimous in denying this to be a work of Ch'oe. Samguk Sagi Samguk sagi ( Korean :  삼국사기 ; Hanja :  三國史記 ; lit.   History of

481-478: The Chinese imperial examination within ten years he would cease to be his son. Within the decade Ch'oe did indeed pass the highest of China's civil service exams, the coveted jinshi (進士) degree, and was duly appointed to a prefectural office in the south. Ch'oe went on to serve in China for nearly a decade, even becoming acquainted with Emperor Xizong of Tang (r. 873-888). Ch'oe also won merits for his service under

518-466: The Goryeo Dynasty. However, this anecdote first appeared in the 12th century Samguk Sagi , long after Ch'oe had died and some modern scholars concur that Ch'oe, a native and ardent supporter of Silla, never penned it but that it was attributed to him by a young Goryeo dynasty to buttress its legitimacy and win over the support of young Silla scholars to its enterprise. The date of Ch'oe's death

555-454: The Silla ( 시무십여조 ; 時務十餘條 ). As with earlier attempts by Ch'oe's predecessors, these were ultimately to fall upon deaf ears. By the time of Ch'oe's return Silla was in an advanced state of collapse. The central monarchy had been greatly weakened by internecine struggle, with power devolving first into the hands of the bone rank aristocracy and then - more ominously for Silla's survival - into

592-477: The Silla Suijeon (신라수이전, 新羅殊異傳, Silla tales of wonder), the earliest and oldest known collection of Korean Buddhist tales and popular fables. The work is no longer extant but thirteen of its original stories have survived in other works. Almost all scholars agree, however, that Ch'oe was not the author. This seems clear by the fact that one of the tales included in the collection was a fable of Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn,

629-499: The Silla monarchy, and as a result many of the Ch'oe clan were sent to matriculate in China with the ultimate goal of passing the Chinese civil service exam and returning to serve the Silla court. According to the 12th century history work Samguk Sagi , when Ch'oe was twelve years of age, in 869, his father sent him to study in Tang, seeing him off with the admonition that if he did not pass

666-499: The Tang general Gao Pian in his struggle against the Huang Chao rebellion, a failed uprising which nonetheless ushered in the final years of the crippled Chinese dynasty. With the rebellion put down and peace at least temporarily restored Ch'oe's thoughts turned towards home. One surviving poem, written earlier while Ch'oe was heading to his first official post in China ("ten years of dust" being his ten years spent in preparing for

703-592: The Three Kingdoms ) is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea : Goguryeo , Baekje , and Silla . Completed in 1145, it is well-known in Korea as the oldest surviving chronicle of Korean history. The Samguk sagi is written in Classical Chinese , the written language of the literati of ancient Korea. Its compilation was ordered by King Injong of Goryeo (r. 1122–1146) and undertaken by

740-462: The administration of territory and the buttressing of central authority (that is, royal absolutism). The adoption of Confucian administrative norms and Silla's closer ties with Tang China demanded a highly educated corps of scholar-officials. To meet this need the Silla monarchy turned to the frustrated talents of the head rank six class. Royal support of the head rank six also gave the monarch more leverage against an increasingly hostile aristocracy. In

777-472: The early years following unification head rank six students matriculated at Silla's own National Confucian Academy , established in the late 7th century. By the 9th century, however, ambitious Silla students aspired to seek their education at the very source, in the Tang capital of Chang'an (present day Xi'an ). It was in the course of the 9th century that the Gyeongju Ch'oe clan nurtured close ties with

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814-412: The end of Silla, many in the head rank six ranks began to seek opportunities of advancement beyond the traditional confines of the Silla social-political order. One outlet was to become a Buddhist monk. Another was to take up the study of Confucianism. China's Confucian bureaucracy had been adopted to a limited degree by Silla following its unification of the peninsula in 668. Confucianism was well suited to

851-538: The entire collection is no longer extant. What does survive is one part entitled the Gyeweon Pilgyeong (계원필경, 桂苑筆耕, "Plowing the Cassia Grove with a Writing Brush"), which is ten volumes made up primarily of official letters and memorials composed while in the service of Tang. This work also includes some private prose. A sizable collection of Ch'oe's poetry, which was presumably originally included in

888-460: The exam), gave vent to his emotions regarding the native land and family he had not seen in a decade: 海內誰憐海外人 問津何處是通津 本求食祿非求利 只爲榮親不爲身 客路離愁江上雨 故園歸夢日邊春 濟川幸遇恩波廣 願濯凡纓十載塵 Who is there within China to sympathize with him without? I ask for the ferry that will take me across the river, Originally I sought only food and salary, not the benefits of office, Only my parents’ glory, not my own needs. The traveler's road, rain falling upon

925-614: The hands of regional warlords who controlled the countryside outside the capital region, and in some cases commanded their own private armies. Few records remain of Ch'oe's middle and late years. Around the year 900 Ch'oe retired from public life and began a period of wandering through numerous Korean locales. As the Samguk Sagi relates, "Living in retirement, Ch'oe took up the free life of a mountain sage, building pavilions along rivers and shores, planting pines and bamboo, reading books and writing history, and composing odes to nature. He

962-467: The journalist, historian, and philosopher Shin Chaeho (1880–1936). Shin condemned Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn as one of the most glaring examples of Korean intellectual subservience to China, a pattern of sequacious behavior on the part of Korea's intellectual class (according to Shin) that over the long run weakened Korea's national spirit and made it a slave to " Sadae " ("serving the great") thought. Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn

999-596: The only remaining Korean sources for the period, but also because the Samguk sagi contains a large amount of information and details. For example, the translation tables given in Books 35 and 36 have been used for a tentative reconstruction of the former Goguryeo language . There were various motivating factors behind the compilation of the Samguk sagi in the 12th century. These may roughly be categorized as ideological and political. The ideological factors are made manifest in

1036-413: The posthumous title of Marquis of Bright Culture ( 문창후 ; 文昌侯 ). In the early 13th century his portrait was placed in the national Confucian shrine to become an object of veneration thence forward. On the other hand, as time passed Ch'oe also came to be revered as a poet, due in great part to the relatively large number of his poems that have survived, all written in Chinese. Around Ch'oe also grew up

1073-548: The progenitor of the Gyeongju Ch'oe clan . Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn was born in the Saryang district of the Silla capital of Gyeongju in 857. He was of the so-called "head rank six" ( yukdupum Hanja : 六頭品 ) class, a hereditary class in Silla's stringent bone rank system affixed to those of mixed aristocratic and commoner birth. As a member of head rank six, Ch'oe was restricted in the level of office he could attain. Towards

1110-429: The river; My former home, dreaming of return, springtime beneath the sun. Crossing the river I meet with fortune the broad waves. I wash ten years of dust from my humble cap strings. The Samguk Sagi again tells us that Ch'oe - the consummate Confucian - was thinking of his ageing parents when he requested permission from the Tang emperor to return to Silla. This he was duly granted and he returned home in 885. He

1147-469: The ruler of the peninsula. Reflecting this, he secretly sent off a prophetic verse reflecting his support of the new dynasty: “The leaves of the Cock Forest [Silla] are yellow, the pines of Snow Goose Pass [Goryeo] are green.” ( 계림황엽 곡령청송 ; 鷄林黃葉 鵠嶺靑松 ). Cock Forest (Gyerim) being an ancient sobriquet for Silla and Snow Goose Pass (Gongnyeong) being the ancestral home of Wang Kŏn, and by association

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1184-520: The title Haeun . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Haeun&oldid=1221148516 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Ch%27oe Ch%27i-w%C5%8Fn In his final years, Ch'oe turned more towards Buddhism and became

1221-511: The work presented to King Heongang cited above, has come down to us through other Korean sources, primarily the Dongmunseon , a Joseon Dynasty collection of Korean poetry. Some verses of his are also included in the 12th century Samguk Sagi . Ch'oe's surviving stele inscriptions, the so-called Sasan bimyeong (사산비명, 四山碑銘, “Four mountain steles”) are as follows (all in present-day South Korea): Ch'oe's authorship has been conjectured for

1258-488: The work's preface, written by Kim Busik, where the civil historian states, "Of today's scholars and high-ranking officials, there are those who are well-versed and can discuss in detail the Five Classics and the other philosophical treatises... as well as the histories of Qin and Han , but as to the events of our country, they are utterly ignorant from beginning to end. This is truly lamentable." The Samguk sagi

1295-427: Was never to see China again. As member of the yukdupum class, Ch'oe had returned to Silla with youthful hopes of reform. Ch'oe was not the first of the yukdupum Confucian literati to attempt to foster reform in the Silla state, however his case is one of the most prominent to come down to us in recorded Korean history. In 894 Ch'oe submitted to Silla's Queen Jinseong (r. 887-897) his "Ten Urgent Points of Reform" for

1332-424: Was then 28. Soon upon his return to Silla Ch'oe was appointed an instructor and reader at Silla's Confucian Hallim Academy. He was shuffled through various positions, including Minister of War and chief of a variety of regional prefectures. Though in 893 he was appointed chief envoy of a diplomatic mission to Tang China, famine and subsequent upheavals in Silla prevented his journey. Tang fell soon afterward and Ch'oe

1369-762: Was written on the basis of the Gu Samguksa (舊三國史, Old History of the Three Kingdoms), and other earlier historical records such as the Hwarang Segi (花郞世記, Annals of Hwarang), most of which are no longer extant. Concerning external sources, no references are made to the Japanese chronicles, like the Kojiki or the Nihon Shoki , chronicles of Japan that were respectively released in 712 and 720. It

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