Official and critic who wrote Sunoji, Sohwa siphyeong and Haedong ijeok; pen name Hyeonmukja
| Life | 1643 ~ 1725 |
| Era | 조선 후기 |
| Clan | 풍산 홍씨 |
Hong Man-jong (洪萬宗, 1643-1725) was a late-Joseon official, scholar and critic of the Pungsan Hong clan, with the courtesy name Uhae and pen names Hyeonmukja, Mongheon and Jangju. According to Wikipedia his father was Hong Ju-se, magistrate of Yeongcheon, and his mother a daughter of the vice-minister Jeong Gwang-gyeong. He did not hold high office, but he left a large body of writing on Korean literature, history and folklore and is counted as the representative of the clan's tradition of authorship. The clan association lists Sunoji, Myeongyeop jihae, Yeokdae chongmok, Haedong ijeok, Sohwa siphyeong and Sihwa chongnim as the family's emblematic works of the Joseon period.
His best-known work, Sunoji (旬五志), a collection of Korean proverbs, poems and poetry talk, is said to take its title from the fifteen days (sun-o) in which he wrote it while ill. Sohwa siphyeong is a critical anthology judging the poems of Korean poets, and Sihwa chongnim collects many works of poetry criticism. Haedong ijeok gathers stories of Korean Daoist figures and immortals, Myeongyeop jihae is a jest book compiled in 1678 under Sukjong, and Dongguk yeokdae chongmok and its supplement are historical works. He also left Dongguk akbo and Dongguk jijiryak.
These works are valued for broadening classical literature, folklore and historical awareness in late Joseon. Sunoji is often cited as basic material for the study of proverbs, and Myeongyeop jihae shows the humor of ordinary people of the day. Specific official posts and his tomb could not be confirmed here. His father Hong Ju-se belonged to the twelfth generation, the same as Hong Ju-won. With his contemporary Hong Man-seon, he shows the scholarly atmosphere of the late seventeenth-century Pungsan Hong. Facsimiles of Sunoji can be consulted through the National Library of Korea, the Korean Classics database and Wikimedia Commons.
Best known are Sunoji (proverbs and poetry talk), Sohwa siphyeong (poetry criticism), Haedong ijeok (Daoist figures), Myeongyeop jihae (jest book) and Dongguk yeokdae chongmok (history).
The clan association says some 130 Pungsan Hong left collections or books, and Hong Man-jong stands in that line with Hong Man-seon, Hong Yang-ho and Hong Seok-ju.
His tomb could not be confirmed here.