A Brief Discussion on the Educational Function of Zhu Zi’s “Feelings of Living in Leisure” (《斋居感兴》): Centered on the Joseon

Abstract

Joseon is the land of Zhu Zi's Theory (1130-1200), whose influence is second only to that of Confucius, and the influence of Zhuzi's Confucianism can still be felt even in present-day Korea. Most scholars have focused on Zhu Zi's thoughts, and it is undeniable that Zhu Zi was indeed a remarkable philosopher, but unfortunately, his literary attainments have become smaller and smaller in comparison, and even overlooked. Among the many Zhu Zi treatises published during the Joseon period, the "Annotations of the Four Books" (《四书集注》) were included as subjects for the imperial examinations, the "Primary School"《小学》was used as an initiation book for the royal children, and the only one that was singled out under the name of "poetry" was the "Twenty Poems on Feelings of Living in Leisure" (《斋居感兴二十首》), which appears as a single literary work and is also the most annotated literary work. This study is a study of the twenty poems that appeared as a single literary work and also the most annotated literary work. In this study, we analyze and discuss the educational function of "Feelings of Living in Leisure" (《斋居感兴》) in its form and further elaborate its signifcance through the acceptance, dissemination, and study of Jejuoems by the literati of Joseon in both public and private settings, in the context of the local academic atmosphere in which the thought of Zhu Zi was accepted in the Joseon Dynasty.