明代 袁黃 編著 『四書』의 朝鮮에서의 流傳과 意義

Taking the only two existing oversea copies preserved in the royal library of Kyujanggak (奎章閣) Institute for Korean Studies at Seoul National University as the starting point, this study explores Yuan Huang’s (袁黃, also known as袁了凡, Yuan Liao-fan) editions of Confucian classics from various perspectives, including the overseas spreading path, overseas collections, Joseon (朝鮮, old Korean Kingdom) literati’s attitude towards Yuan’s editions, and the influence and significance of Yuan’s editions on the Korean study of Confucian classics (韓國經學).

The research results show that there are at least three significances in the overseas spread of Yuan Huang’s editions. Firstly, unlike most Chinese books that were circulated abroad through commerce or purchase, Yuan Huang’s editions were personally carried by the author himself to the Korean Peninsula and were further spread to Japan. This is a very special example in the dissemination of ancient documents. Secondly, from the collections of the royal library and the discussions of the Joseon literati, it can be found that Zhu Xi’s (朱熹) interpretations of Confucian classics had no longer been the only focus in the late Joseon period, and the new theories in Ming and Qing dynasties also received significant attention. Thirdly, no longer content with Zhu Xi’s Sishu zhangju jizhu(四書章句集註), after Sishu Wujing Daquan (四書五經大全), Korean Confucian scholars in the late Joseon period started to embrace the new theories in Ming and Qing dynasties, including Shen Shou-zheng’s (沈守正) Sishu shuocong (四書說叢), Lu Long-qi’s (陸隴其) Sishu jiangyi kunmianlu (四書講義困勉錄), and this study’s focus Yuan Huang’s editions.