Official who served as magistrate of Pyeonghae; father of Cha Cheon-ro and Cha Un-ro; student of Seo Gyeong-deok; pen name Ijae
| Life | 1517 ~ 1575 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 연안 차씨 |
Cha Sik (1517-1575) was a mid-Joseon official of the Yeonan Cha clan with courtesy name Gyeongsuk and pen name Ijae. His great-grandfather was Cha Bo-in, grandfather Cha Gye-saeng and father Cha Gwang-un, his mother was a daughter of Choe Ji, and with his wife of the Asan Yi clan he had five sons and three daughters. He is best known as father of the famous writers Cha Cheon-ro and Cha Un-ro.
He passed the licentiate examination in 1537 and the regular civil examination in 1543, and served as jwarang, jubu, gyori and gyogam in offices such as Seonggyungwan, the Board of Taxation, the Board of Rites, Bongsangsi, Gyoseogam and Seungmunwon, and as magistrate in Tongjin, Hangju, Haeju, Pyeonghae and Goseong. Said to be well versed in the classics and histories and excellent in prose, he is recorded in the spirit-way stele text by Yu Mong-in as a student of Seo Gyeong-deok.
He died of typhoid in 1575 (Seonjo 8) while magistrate of Pyeonghae. He left a collected works of five or six volumes, said to have been lost to war. With his two sons he was compared to the Three Su of Song, which shows the family's reputation for letters.
The line runs from his great-grandfather Cha Bo-in and grandfather Cha Gye-saeng to his father Cha Gwang-un, and his sons Cha Cheon-ro and Cha Un-ro are known. Of five sons and three daughters, two won fame for their prose and raised the family's standing.
The tradition that he studied under Seo Gyeong-deok of Songdo (Gaeseong) rests on Yu Mong-in's spirit-way stele text. His son Cha Cheon-ro is also said to have studied under Seo, which shows the family's tie to Gaeseong learning.
His collected writings are said to have been lost in war, so his own prose is hard to read today, and assessments rest mostly on later records and on his sons' fame.
The location of his grave was not confirmed here.