Sadae

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Sadae
Hangul
사대
Hanja
事大
RRsadae
MRsadae

Sadae (Korean사대; Hanja事大; lit. serving the great) is a Korean term which is used in pre-modern contexts.[1] Sadae is a Confucian concept, based on filial piety, that describes a reciprocal hierarchical relationship between a senior and a junior, such as a tributary relationship. The term is used as a descriptive label for bilateral foreign relations between Imperial China and Joseon dynasty Korea. Korea's sadae toward China was first employed by Silla in the 7th century, but it was not fully implemented until the Confucianization of Korea in the early Joseon dynasty.[2] Korea's sadae toward China from the 7th century to the 13th century was only nominal.[3]

Sadae describes a foreign policy characterized by the various ways a small country acknowledges the strength of a greater power like that of China. Sadae is made manifest in the actions of the weaker state as it conveys goodwill and respect through its envoys.

The utility of the sadae concept in Korea was recognized from the period of Three Kingdoms of Korea to 1895;[4] and it is demonstrated in the relationship of mid-Joseon Korea towards the Ming Dynasty of China.[5] The Joseon Dynasty made every effort to maintain a friendly relationship with Beijing for reasons having to do with realpolitik and with an idealized Confucian worldview. Sadae construes China as the center of a Confucian moral universe.[6]

As a foundation of diplomacy, the Joseon kingdom presumed that the Korean state was positioned within a Sinocentristic milieu. The Joseon foreign policy was organized around maintaining stable Joseon-Chinese relations in the period from 1392 through 1895. The concept of sadae is contrasted with limited trade relationships or kyorin diplomacy (교린정책; lit. "neighborly relations") which marked Joseon-Japanese relations in this period.[7]

The kingdom of Joseon accepted its place in a Sinocentristic world order. The Joseon foreign policy was organized around maintaining stable Joseon–Chinese relations in the period from 1392 through 1910. It contrasts with limited trade relationships or kyorin diplomacy (교린정책; 交隣政策; lit. neighborly relations) in regard to Joseon-Japanese relations in this period.[7]

Etymology

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The historical term is derived from the Chinese shì dà (事大; Korean sadae) as used by the philosopher Mencius. Lua error: not enough memory. literally means "dealing with the great" or "serving the great"[4] and can be interpreted as "Loving and admiring the great and powerful".[8] The original phrase "Lua error: not enough memory." in the Book of Mencius means "service to the great by the small" or "a small kingdom accommodates a large":[1]

The king Xuan of Qi asked, saying, 'Is there any way to regulate one's maintenance of intercourse with neighbouring kingdoms?'

Mencius replied, 'Yes, there is. But it requires a perfectly virtuous prince to be able, with a great country, to serve a small one - as, for instance, Tang served Ge, and King Wen served the Kun barbarians. And it requires a wise prince to be able, with a small country, to serve a large one - as the King Tai served the Xunyu, and Goujian served Wu. He who with a great State serves a small one, delights in Heaven. He who with a small State serves a large one, stands in awe of Heaven. He who delights in Heaven, will affect with his love and protection the whole kingdom. He who stands in awe of Heaven, will affect with his love and protection his own kingdom. It is said in the Book of Poetry, "I fear the Majesty of Heaven, and will thus preserve its favouring decree." '

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The neutral term is distinguished from the pejorative sadaejuui, which was invented by early 20th century Korean nationalists.[10] Juui means "ideology" and it is conventionally translated as "-ism."[11]

Sadaejuui: 20th-century reinterpretation

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Sadaejuui (KoreanLua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.; lit. serving-the-great ideologyLua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.) is a largely pejorative Korean term which evolved in the mid-20th century from the more widely used historical concept of sadae.[1] The term "sadaejuui" was invented by early 20th century Korean nationalists.[10]

Sadaejuui conflates an attitude of subservience with the political realism which accompanies the prudent recognition of greater power.[1]

The concept of Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. was rejected in the writings of polemicist Shin Chaeho and other Korean nationalists in the 20th century.[12] Shin is known for having argued that the Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. or sadaejuui inherent in Confucian historiography served effectively functioned in two ways:

  • to devalue the ethnic origins of the Korean people and state[13]
  • to subjugate Korean history within a Confucian interpretive framework[13]

His revisionist writings sought to deny the relevance of Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. as an important element of Korean history.[14]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Armstrong, Charles K. (2007). The Koreas, p. 57-58., p. 57, at Google Books
  2. ^ Walker 1971, pp. 3–4.
  3. ^ Walker 1971, p. 4.
  4. ^ a b Pratt, Keith L. et al. (1999). Korea: a historical and cultural dictionary, pp. 384, 394.
  5. ^ 구도영 (Koo Do-young). 중종대(中宗代) 사대인식(事大認識)의 변화 - 대례의(大禮議)에 대한 별행(別行) 파견 논의를 중심으로 ("Changes regarding ‘Perception of Sadae’(事大認識) that became apparent during the reign of King Jungjong - Examination of Discussions over the issue of dispatching a special envoy(別行) about the Grand ceremony (大禮議) in Ming (明) dynasty’s court"),] 역사와 현실 제62호, 2006.12 (History and Reality, No. 62, December 2006). pp. 3-405.
  6. ^ Mansourov, Alexandre Y. "Will Flowers Bloom without Fragrance? Korean-Chinese Relations," Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. Harvard Asia Quarterly (Spring 2009).
  7. ^ a b Kang, Etsuko H. (1997). Diplomacy and Ideology in Japanese-Korean Relations: from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century, p. 49.
  8. ^ Alford, C. Fred. (1999). Think no evil: Korean values in the age of globalization, p. 150., p. 150, at Google Books
  9. ^ Liang Hui Wang II, Mencius

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  10. ^ a b Mitchell, Anthony. "Happier Economy Better Than Larger Economy," Korea Times (Seoul). October 12, 2008.
  11. ^ Duchatel, Mathieu. Nationalisme et sentiment nationaliste en Corée (Nationalism and Nationalist Sentiment in Korea). IEP Paris, DEAA comparative des Aires Politiques, p. 4 n1.
  12. ^ Robinson, Michael. (1984) "National Identity and the Thought of Shin Ch'ae-ho: Sadaejuüi and Chuch'e in History and Politics," Journal of Korean Studies, Vol. 5, pp. 121–142.
  13. ^ a b Robinson, p. 129.
  14. ^ Robinson, pp. 131-132.

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References

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  • Alford, C. Fred. (1999). Think no evil: Korean values in the age of globalization. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.; OCLC 247000674
  • Armstrong, Charles K. (2007). The Koreas. London: CRC Press. Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.; Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.; OCLC 71808039
  • Kang, Etsuko Hae-jin. (1997). Diplomacy and Ideology in Japanese-Korean Relations: from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century. Basingstoke, Hampshire; Macmillan. Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.;
  • Levinson, David and Karen Christensen. (2002). Encyclopedia of Modern Asia. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.; Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.
  • Mansourov, Alexandre Y. "Will Flowers Bloom without Fragrance? Korean-Chinese Relations," Harvard Asia Quarterly (Spring 2009).
  • Pratt, Keith L., Richard Rutt, and James Hoare. (1999). Korea: a historical and cultural dictionary, Richmond: Curzon Press. Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.; Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.; OCLC 245844259
  • Robinson, Michael. (1984) "National Identity and the Thought of Sin Ch'ae-ho: Sadaejuüi and Chuch'e in History and Politics." Journal of Korean Studies 5: 121–142.
  • Robinson, Michael. (1988). Cultural Nationalism in Colonial Korea, 1920–1925. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.; OCLC 18106164
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