Choe Chi-won
| Choe Chiwon | |
| Hangul | 최치원 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Chiwon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Ch'iwŏn |
| Pen name | |
| Hangul | 해운, 고운 |
| Hanja | , |
| Revised Romanization | Hae-un, Goun |
| McCune–Reischauer | Haeun, Koun |
Choe Chiwon (Korean pronunciation: [tɕʰʷe tɕʰiwʌn]; 857–10th century) was a noted Korean Confucian official, philosopher, and poet of the late Unified Silla period (668-935). He studied for many years in Tang China, passed the Tang imperial examination, and rose to high office there before returning to Silla, where he made ultimately futile attempts to reform the governmental apparatus of a declining Silla state.
In his final years, Choe turned more towards Buddhism and became a hermit scholar residing in and around Korea's Haeinsa temple.
Choe Chiwon was also known by the literary names Haeun "Sea Cloud" ([hɛːun] hanja: ), or, more commonly, Goun "Lonely Cloud" ([koun] hanja: ). He is recognized today as the progenitor of the Choe clan of Gyeongju.
Note: Choe is a North Korean spelling and will be pronounced 'Chou' in English speaking people.
Choe Chiwon was born in the Saryang district of the Silla capital of Gyeongju in 857. He was of the so-called "head rank six" (yukdupum hanja: ) class, a hereditary class in Silla's stringent bone rank system affixed to those of mixed aristocratic and commoner birth. As a member of head rank six, Choe was restricted in the level of office he could attain.
Towards the end of Silla, many in the head rank six ranks began to seek opportunities of advancement beyond the traditional confines of the Silla social-political order. One outlet was to become a Buddhist monk. Another was to take up the study of Confucianism. China's Confucian bureaucracy had been adopted to a limited degree by Silla following its unification of the peninsula in 668. Confucianism was well suited to the administration of territory and the buttressing of central authority (that is, royal absolutism). The adoption of Confucian administrative norms and Silla's closer ties with Tang China demanded a highly educated corps of scholar-officials. To meet this need the Silla monarchy turned to the frustrated talents of the head rank six class. Royal support of the head rank six also gave the monarch more leverage against an increasingly hostile aristocracy.
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