Hunminjeongeum
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Cleanup lang Template:Italic title Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox manuscript
Template:Transliteration (Template:Korean) is a 15th-century manuscript that introduced the Korean script Hangul. The name of the manuscript was also the original name of the script.
King Sejong the Great commissioned the royal research institute Hall of Worthies to write the Hunminjeongeum to describe the writing system he had invented in 1443. The manuscript was then published in 1446.<ref name="CHA" />
Hunminjeongeum was intended to be a simpler alternative to the incumbent Chinese-based Hanja, in order to promote literacy among the general populace. It originally included 28 letters, but over time, four of those (ㆆ, ㆁ, ㅿ, ·) were abandoned,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> leading to the current 24 letters of Hangul.
Sejong the Great also commissioned the creation of a companion explanatory manuscript entitled Hunminjeongeum Haerye.<ref name="CHA" /> In 1940, a copy of the Hunminjeongeum Haerye was discovered in Andong, Gyeongsang Province.<ref name="CHA" /> An early copy of the document is in the Gansong Art Museum in Seoul, South Korea.<ref name="CHA" /> In 1962, Hunminjeongeum Haerye was designated a National Treasure in South Korea<ref name="CHA" /> and was registered by UNESCO in the Memory of the World Programme in 1997.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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HistoryEdit
Before Hangul, the Korean alphabet, was created, Chinese characters were used to transcribe Korean words through systems such as idu, hyangchal and gugyeol.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since Chinese language and Korean language share few similarities, borrowing Chinese characters proved to be inefficient to reflect the spoken language.<ref name=":0" /> In addition, at the time when Sejong the Great was inventing Hangul the Ming dynasty had just come to power in China, which changed the pronunciation of Chinese characters, making it harder for Koreans to learn the new standard pronunciation to record their words.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> The illiteracy level also stayed high since reading and learning Chinese characters was restricted among the ordinary people. They were generally used in official documents by the ruling class.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The ruling class took advantage of this and learning the Chinese characters became a symbol of power and privilege.<ref name=":0" /> In order to make written language more accessible for common people, Sejong the Great started creating Hangul secretly, since the ruling class would be appalled by the news.<ref name=":0" />
Hangul was personally created by Sejong the Great, the fourth king of the Joseon dynasty, and revealed by him in 1443.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="CHA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Koreana">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although it is widely assumed that Sejong the Great ordered the Hall of Worthies to invent Hangul, contemporary records such as the Veritable Records of King Sejong and Chŏng Inji's preface to the Hunminjeongeum Haerye emphasize that he invented it himself.<ref name=":0" /> This is stated in Book 113 of The Annals of King Sejong (Sejongsillok) on the 9th month and the 28th year of reign of King Sejong and at the end of An Illustrated Explanation of Hunminjeongeum (Template:Transliteration; Hunminjeongeum Haerye).<ref name=":1" /> Afterward, King Sejong wrote the preface to the Hunminjeongeum, explaining the origin and purpose of Hangul and providing brief examples and explanations, and then tasked the Hall of Worthies to write detailed examples and explanations.<ref name="CHA" /> The head of the Hall of Worthies, Chŏng Inji, was responsible for compiling the Hunminjeongeum.<ref name="Koreana" /> The Hunminjeongeum was published and promulgated to the public in 1446.<ref name="CHA" /> The writing system is referred to as Hangul today but was originally named as Hunminjeongeum by King Sejong. "Hunmin" and "Jeongeum" are respective words that each indicate "to teach the people" and "proper sounds."<ref name=":1" /> Together Hunminjeongeum means "correct sounds for the instruction of the people."<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Versions and contentEdit
There are three versions of Hunminjeongeum.
- Hunminjeongeum Yeui: Hanja version (Hunminjeongeum Sillok (Template:Korean) is classified as Hunminjeongeum Yeui.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>)
- Hunminjeongeum Haerye: An Illustrated Explanation of Hunminjeongeum (Hunminjeongeum Yeui + explanation: Haerye)<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Hunminjeongeum Eonhae: Hangul version of Hunminjeongeum Yeui<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Hunminjeongeum Yeui is written in Classical Chinese/Hanja and contains a preface, the alphabet letters, and brief descriptions of their corresponding sounds.<ref name=":2" /> The Classical Chinese (Hanja) of the Hunminjeongeum has been partly translated into Middle Korean. This translation is found together with Template:Transliteration: an annotated Buddhist scripture and is called the Hunminjeongeum Eonhae.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The first paragraph of Hunminjeongeum Haerye reveals Sejong the Great's motivation for creating Hangul:<ref name=aks />
| System | Text | |
|---|---|---|
| Original Classical Chinese/Hanja<ref name="aks">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
lang}}Template:Efn |
| Middle Korean pronunciation transliteration of Classical Chinese textTemplate:Clarify | Kwúyk ci ngě qum / Í hhwo tyung kwúyk / Yě mwun ccó pwúlq syang lyuw thwong / Kwó ngwu min wǔw swǒ ywók ngen / Zi cyung pwúlq túk sin kkuy ccyeng cyǎ ta ngǔy / Ye wúy chǒ mǐn zyen / Sin cyéy zí ssíp pálq ccó / Ywók sǒ zin zin í ssíp ppyen qe zílq ywóng zǐ. | |
| Hanja + Hangul<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Template:Script |
| Hanja + Hangul Transliteration | Kwúyk ci ngě qum í / Í hhwo tyung kwúyk hó yá / Yě mwun ccó lwó pwúlq syang lyuw thwong hol ssóy / Kwó lwó ngwu min í wǔw swǒ ywók ngen hó ya twó / Zi cyung pwúlq túk sin kkuy ccyeng cyǎ y ta ngǔy lá / Ye y wúy chǒ mǐn zyen hó yá / Sin cyéy zí ssíp pálq ccó hó nwo ní / Ywók sǒ zin zin ó lwó í ssíp hó yá ppyen qe zílq ywóng zǐ ni lá. | |
| Middle Korean<ref name=":3" /> | Template:Script | |
| Middle Korean transliteration | Nalás mǎlssomí / Tyungkwúykéy talGá / Mwunccówálwó selu somostí aníholssóy / Ílen cyenchólwó elín póyksyéngí nilukwócyé hwólq páy isyétwó / Mochómnǎy cey ptútúl silé phyetí mwǒt holq nwómí hanílá / Náy ílól wúyhóyá ěyespí nekyé / Sáylwó súmúl yetúlp ccólól moyngkónwoní / Sǎlommǎtá hǒyGGyé swǔWí nikyé nállwó pswúméy ppyenqankhúy hokwócyé holq stolomínilá. | |
| English translation | <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Blockquote with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | author | by | char | character | cite | class | content | multiline | personquoted | publication | quote | quotesource | quotetext | sign | source | style | text | title | ts }} |