The Story of Hong Gildong (15 page)

15
.
my portrait memorialized in Girin House:
An expression used to mean one has become renowned for having performed a great service for the country.
Giringak
(Girin House) is Korean for the Chinese
Qilinke
.
Qilin
is a mythological animal that was described as a combination variously of different parts of a dragon, a tiger, a deer, an ox, and a horse, sometimes with a horn. Later it was identified with the giraffe (
girin
is the word for a giraffe in modern Korean). In Chinese history, the Han dynasty emperor Wu (r.
141
–
87
BCE) built a garden in the capital city of Changan that was called Qilin Garden. His grandson, Emperor Xuan (r.
74
–
49
BCE), built Qilin House at the site, and in it he displayed the portraits of eleven of his most loyal and meritorious subjects in a hall of fame. Both the garden and the house were destroyed after the fall of the Han dynasty, but the fame of the building survived in the expression signifying the achievement of the highest recognition for service to the country.

16
.
“Kings, lords, generals, and ministers are not made from a special blood”:
An ancient expression of Chinese origin, from the writings of the grand historian Sima Qian (
145
–
86
BCE), in his biography of the rebel Chen She. It means that anyone, no matter how humble his origin, can attain positions of power and prestige given the right set of circumstances, talents, and ambitions. It also implies that people who are already in positions of power are not there because of some innate quality of their inherited blood. Burton Watson, in his translation of Sima Qian, renders the expression as: “Kings and nobles, generals and ministers—such men are made, not born.” See Sima Qian,
The Records of the Grand Historian: Qin Dynasty
, trans. Burton Watson (New York: Columbia University Press,
1993
),
219
.

17
.
royal insignia:
(
byeongbu
) This was a special insignia granted by the king to a military commander of high status. A wooden panel inscribed with the royal order granting the general his rank and mission was split in two, and the commander carried one half while the other half remained in the capital with the monarch. The perfect fit of the two pieces guaranteed that the insignia was genuine.

18
.
Jang Chung's son Gilsan:
Jang Gilsan was a real-life outlaw who operated during the reign of King Sukjong (r.
1661
–
1720
). Originally an itinerant entertainer, an occupation of lowborn status (
cheonmin
), he became the bandit leader of landless peasants. He is also mentioned in
gyeongpan
versions of
The Story of Hong Gildong
. This reference poses one of many problems in attributing the authorship of the work to Heo Gyun, who died in
1618
, decades before the appearance of Jang Gilsan. This also makes it problematic to identify the Hong Gildong of the story with the real-life bandit Hong Gildong who lived during the time of Lord Yeonsan (r.
1494
–
1506
).

19
.
the Way:
Do
is the Korean word for the Chinese
dao
, the practice of which can denote mastering esoteric or supernatural knowledge, including the principles of Daoist philosophy, or learning some specialized skill, including a martial art.

20
.
Mother Goksan:
Minister Hong's senior concubine, Chorang. Commoners and lowborn people were often referred to by the name of their hometown rather than their personal name. As revealed several paragraphs later, Chorang comes from the town of Goksan in Hwanghae Province. Although concubines had no legal standing in society, they were part of an informal hierarchy within the household. As she was the minister's senior concubine,
Gildong, the son of a junior concubine, was obligated to treat her with the respect due to a household “mother.”

21
.
courtesan:
(
gisaeng
) A professional entertainer and prostitute, a lowborn status (
cheonmin
) occupation for women, comparable to the Japanese geisha.

22
.
Yi Taebaek and Du Mok:
Korean names for the Chinese figures Li Bai (
701
–
762
; courtesy name Li Taibai) and Du Mu (
803
–
852
), two of the greatest poets of the literary golden age of the Tang dynasty (
618
–
907
). They were famed throughout East Asia not only for their poetic skills but also for the nobility of their bearing.

23
.
shamans and physiognomists:
(
munyeo
and
gwangsangnyeo
) Both were occupations of lowborn status (
cheonmin
), mostly for women (male shamans and physiognomists were rare, as they are in modern-day Korea). Shamans conjured sprits to bring fortune, to dispel misfortune, and to prognosticate the future, while physiognomists read people's facial features to tell their fortunes. For a fascinating study of the life of a contemporary shaman, see Laurel Kendall,
The Life and Hard Times of a Korean Shaman: Of Tales and the Telling of Tales
(Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press,
1988
).

24
.
Sungrye Gate:
During the Joseon dynasty, the capital city (alternatively referred to in this story as Jangan, Gyeongseong, Gyeongsa—today's Seoul) was protected by a wall all around it, with four great gates (
daemun
) at the four directions. An alternative name for the Great South Gate (
Namdaemun
) was Sungrye Gate. It is in today's Jung District of Seoul.

25
.
nyang
:
The Joseon dynasty currency. It is difficult to estimate its value, as it varied from period to period, but typically a
nyang
bought about five
mal
(around thirty liters or seven gallons) of rice in autumn, when the grain was plentiful after harvest season, and about two
mal
(around twelve liters or three gallons) in spring. Chorang's gift of fifty
nyang
is a substantial amount.

26
.
the destruction of your entire family:
The Joseon dynasty punishment for treason, especially for those who sought to usurp the throne, was death not only for the perpetrator but also for three generations of his household (i.e., parents, siblings, and children), which effectively wiped out the entire family. The physiognomist is warning that since Gildong possesses the qualities of a king, he might harbor a royal ambition in the future and engage in actions that could cause the destruction of all the members of the family. It is interesting that while the physiognomist is
seeking to slander Gildong in order to turn his father against him, her discernment of his kingly nature turns out to be correct as he does become a monarch in the end.

27
.
“
Kings, lords, generals, and ministers are not made from a special blood”:
The physiognomist repeats the Sima Qian quotation uttered previously by Gildong (see note
16
), but with a different nuance. Gildong was lamenting his condition, wondering how Sima Qian could claim that anyone, no matter how humble his background, can rise to a position of power when his own status bars him from all legitimate paths to social advancement. In this case, however, the physiognomist is warning the minister that precisely because anyone can rise to power under the right set of talents and circumstances, Gildong might conceive the idea that he could do so himself, which could lead to the destruction of the family.

28
.
the Six Teachings and the Three Summaries
:
(
Yukdo samryak
), Korean for the Chinese
Liutao sanlue
, two classics of military strategy. The
Six Teachings
(
Liutao
) is attributed to Jiang Ziya, an adviser to King Wen, who founded the Zhou dynasty in
1046
BCE. The
Three Summaries
is associated with the Han dynasty general Zhang Liang (
262
–
189
BCE), who is thought to have received it from a legendary figure named Huang Shigong. English translations of both texts can be found in
The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China
, trans. Ralph D. Sawyer (Boulder, CO: Westview Press,
1993
),
40
–
105
and
292
–
306
.

29
.
astrology, geomancy:
The Korean words
cheonmun
and
jiri
can denote the modern scholarly fields of astronomy and geography, respectively, as well as the magical arts of astrology and geomancy (
pungsu jiri
). Later in the narrative, Gildong examines the stars to fathom the health of his father, who is far away, and uses his knowledge of land to pick out auspicious sites for his parents' tombs, so astrology and geomancy are the appropriate translations here. (For more on geomancy see note
113
.)

30
.
“
What is said in daytime is overheard by the bird, and what is said in nighttime is overheard by the rat”:
A traditional proverb meaning secrets are hard to keep because someone is bound to gossip and be overheard.

31
.
Juyeok: Korean name for the ancient Chinese classic of philosophical magic and divination,
Zhouyi
—better known in the West as
I Ching
or the Book of Changes.

32
.
assistant section chief:
(
jwarang
, see note
5
) To this day, Koreans commonly refer to one another by their professional positions even among close acquaintances. In the course of the story,
as Minister Hong's older son, Inhyeon, attains various different appointments throughout his career, he is referred to as the third minister (
chamui
), the governor of Gyeongsang Province (
Gyeongsang gamsa
), and the minister of personnel (
ipan
—short for
ijo panseo
).

33
.
broken steamer:
The expression (
jeungi paui
) refers to a cooking implement made of earthenware, used for steaming food, that has been broken. It denotes a done deed that cannot be taken back, and so it is useless to regret it. Comparable in meaning to the English expression “spilled milk,” as in “no use crying over spilled milk.”

34
.
the third or fourth watch:
In the Joseon dynasty, a day was divided into twelve units of roughly two hours each. The five units of nighttime were called
gyeong
, or “watches.” The third and fourth watches, during which time Teukjae is to kill Gildong, roughly fall into, respectively, eleven o'clock at night to one, and one in the morning to three.

35
.
He then unleashed his sorcery:
Gildong uses the magical Eight Trigrams found in the
Juyeok
(Chinese
Zhouyi
) to alter the directional orientation of the room, which confuses the intruder and subjects him to hallucinations.

36
.
cheok
:
A unit for measuring length. As with
jang
, its value changed over time, but a
cheok
is a tenth of a
jang
, and so was a little bit over twenty centimeters (approximately
0
.
65
feet) through most of the Joseon dynasty period.

37
.
Supreme King of Cho:
Cho Paewang, Korean name for the Chinese ruler Chu Bawang, or Xichu Bawang (the Supreme King of Western Chu, the royal title of Xiang Yu,
232
–
202
BCE). O River is the Korean name for the Wu River in China, where Xichu Bawang committed suicide after most of his troops deserted him.

38
.
Hyeong Gyeong:
Korean name for the Chinese scholar-warrior Jing Ke (unknown–
227
BCE), who is famous for his failed attempt to assassinate King Zheng of the state of Qin (the future First Emperor of the Qin dynasty—Qin Shi Huang).

39
.
The Silver River:
(
eunhasu
) Korean name for the Milky Way.

40
.
ri
:
A unit for measuring distance. Through most of the Joseon dynasty, a ri measured a little under
450
meters (just over a quarter of a mile).

41
.
there must be a temple nearby:
Outside of cities, Buddhist temples tended to be built in remote areas to facilitate the monks' withdrawal from the world in environments conducive to meditation.
Many of them were located in high mountains and could be reached only after an arduous climb up rugged paths.