Hunminjeongeum Haerye

Hunminjeongeum Haerye
Hunminjeongeum Haerye uses right-to-left vertical writing. Here it explains the shapes of the basic consonants.
Korean name
Hangul
훈민정음 해례
Hanja
訓民正音解例
Revised RomanizationHunminjeongeum Haerye
McCune–ReischauerHunminjŏngŭm Haerye

Hunminjeongeum Haerye (Hanja: 訓民正音解例; lit. 'Explanations and Examples of the Proper Sounds for the Instruction of the People'), or simply Haerye, is a commentary on the Hunminjeongeum, the original promulgation of the Korean script Hangul. It was first published in 1446.[1] The Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon (訓民正音解例本) is the printed edition—bon (本) means "book" or "edition".

It was written by scholars from the Jiphyeonjeon (Hall of Worthies), commissioned by King Sejong the Great. In addition to an introduction by Sejong (excerpted from the beginning of Hunminjeongeum) and a colophon by the scholar Jeong Inji (鄭麟趾), it contains the following chapters:

  1. "An Explanation of the Design of the Letters" (制字解)
  2. "An Explanation of the Initials" (初聲解)
  3. "An Explanation of the Medials" (中聲解)
  4. "An Explanation of the Finals" (終聲解)
  5. "An Explanation of the Combination of the Letters" (合字解)
  6. "Examples of the Uses of the Letters" (用字例)

The original publication is 65 pages[2] printed in Hanja with right-to-left vertical writing, as is the case for all the ancient Korean literature in regular script, except where Hangul are mentioned and illustrated.[citation needed] One original copy was made public in 1940 by Jeon Hyeongpil,[2] an antique collector who acquired it from Lee Hangeol (1880–1950), whose family had possessed it for generations.[citation needed]

Another copy was reported to be found in 2008. It included detailed footnotes by scholars at the time.[3]

Now kept in the Gansong Art Museum, it is South Korean National Treasure No. 70 and has been a UNESCO Memory of the World Register since October 1997.[4][2]

  1. ^ "Reprint of 'Hunminjeongeum' Haerye edition". The Korea Times. 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  2. ^ a b c Dong-hee, Hwang (2023-10-05). "Seminal texts on Hangeul reproduced right down to hanji pages". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  3. ^ "Court ruling re-sparks tug-of-war over priceless Hangeul handbook". The Korea Times. 2019-07-17. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  4. ^ "Hunminjeongum Manuscript." UNESCO Registry. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/memory-of-the-world/register/full-list-of-registered-heritage/registered-heritage-page-8/the-hunmin-chongum-manuscript