Yi Hwang (; 1501–1570) was a Korean philosopher, writer, and Confucian scholar of the Joseon period. He is considered the most important philosopher of Korea - he is honored by printing his portrait on the 1000 South Korean won banknote, on the reverse of which one can see an image of his school, Dosan Seowon. He was of the Neo-Confucian literati, established the Yeongnam School and set up the Dosan Seowon, a private Confucian academy.
Yi Hwang is often referred to by his art name Toegye ("Retreating Creek"). His courtesy name was Gyeongho.
His interpretation of Neo-Confucianism was influential not only in Korea, but also in Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and is now being studied even in the mainland China. His main work, Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning, originally published in classical Chinese language, has been already translated into modern Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, English, French, German, Russian and Polish.
Some of his writings were looted by the Japanese military during the Japanese invasion of Korea.
Biography
Yi Hwang was born in Ongye-ri, Andong, in the north of Gyeongsang Province, in 1501. He belonged to the Jinbo Yi clan, and was the youngest son among eight children. A child prodigy, he learned the Analects of Confucius from his uncle at age twelve and admiring the poetry of Tao Yuanming, started writing poetry. His poem Yadang ("Pond in the Wild"), written at the age of eighteen, is considered one of his major works. Around the age of twenty, he immersed himself in the study of I Ching and Neo-Confucianism.
He came to Seoul (then known as Hanseong) when he was 23 years old and entered the national academy Sungkyunkwan in 1523. In 1527 he passed preliminary exams to become a government official, but re-entered Sungkyunkwan at the age of 33 and socialized with the scholar Kim In-hu. He passed the civil service exams with top honors in 1534 and continued his scholarly pursuits whilst working for the government.
Yi Hwang was also talented in calligraphy and poetry, writing a collection of sijo, a three line poetic form popular with the literati of the Joseon period.
- 1599 — 退溪全書
- 1681 — The Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning
- 1746 — 退溪集
- Outline and Explanations of the Works of Zhu Xi
- Commentary on the Heart Sutra
- History of Neo-Confucianism in the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties
- The Four-Seven Debate: discusses Mencius's philosophy with Gi Dae-seung
Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning
The Neo-Confucian literature of Seonghaksipdo was composed by Yi Hwang in 1568 for King Seonjo. It is a series of lectures for rulers through examples of past sages. Traditional Confucians had affirmed that any man could learn to become a sage; the new Confucians made the ideal of sagehood real and attainable, just as enlightenment was for Buddhists. Yi Hwang intended to present that path by starting each chapter with a diagram and related text drawn from Zhu Xi or another leading authority, and concluding with a brief commentary. He intended for "Ten Diagrams" to be made into a ten paneled standing screen, as well as a short book, so that the mind of the viewer could be constantly engaged with its contents, until it totally assimilated the material.
Legacy
right|250px|thumb|Yi Hwang on the currently circulating 1,000 [[South Korean won|won note]]
Toegyero, a street in central Seoul, is named after him, and he is depicted on the South Korean 1,000 won note. The Taekwondo pattern Toi-Gye was named in honor of Yi Hwang.
Many institutes and university research departments devoted to Yi Hwang have been established. The Toegye Studies Institute set up in Seoul in 1970, Kyungpook National University's Toegye Institute opened in 1979, and an institute and library in Dankook University in 1986. There are research institutes in Tokyo, Taiwan, Hamburg, and the United States.