정약용 丁若鏞
Great synthesiser of practical learning and author of the Mokmin Simseo and Gyeongse Yupyo; pen name Dasan, posthumous title Mundo
| Life | 1762 ~ 1836 |
| Era | 조선 후기 |
| Clan | 나주 정씨 |
Life & career
Jeong Yak-yong (丁若鏞, 1762-1836) was a late Joseon civil official, practical-learning scholar, author and poet. From Naju, with childhood name Gwi-nong, courtesy name Miyong, pen names Dasan, Saam, Takong and Jahado-in, studio name Yeoyudang and posthumous title Mundo, he was born in 1762 at Majae in Gwangju-bu (now Neungnae-ri, Joan-myeon, Namyangju), the son of Jinju Magistrate Jeong Jae-won and a Haenam Yun mother, a fifth-generation descendant of Yun Seon-do. His family prided itself on 'eight generations of Okdang' because ancestors such as Jeong Su-gang, Jeong Ok-hyeong, Jeong Eung-du and Jeong Yun-bok served successively in the Hongmungwan.
He learned from his father at his postings, and after his 1776 marriage encountered Yi Ik's learning through Yi Ga-hwan and Yi Seung-hun. He became a licentiate and doctoral candidate in 1783, won King Jeongjo's favour at the Seonggyungwan, passed the higher civil examination in 1789 and worked at the Gyujanggak. He helped build the pontoon bridge over the Han and devised a crane used in constructing Hwaseong Fortress at Suwon, and served as secret royal inspector, Magistrate of Goksan, Dongbu Seungji and Hyeongjo Chamui. As Magistrate of Goksan he is said to have praised rather than punished Yi Gye-sim, who had led resistance to taxation.
In youth he heard Catholic doctrine from Yi Byeok and took part in a believers' gathering, but is judged to have broken with Catholicism after the 1791 Jinsan incident. In the 1801 Sinyu persecution, however, his third brother Jeong Yak-jong was martyred and he was exiled with his second brother Jeong Yak-jeon. He was sent to Janggi in Gyeongsang and then to Gangjin in Jeolla; many sources give the exile as 18 years, while others say 17.
In Gangjin he wrote more than 500 volumes, including the Mokmin Simseo, Gyeongse Yupyo and Heumheum Sinseo, the so-called 'one table and two books'. Pardoned in 1818, he returned home and died at his house in Majae on the morning of his 60th wedding anniversary in 1836. In 1910 he was posthumously made Gyujanggak Jehak with the title Mundo, and Jeong In-bo said that studying Dasan alone is studying all of Joseon history. The family's scholarship continued through his sons Jeong Hak-yeon and Jeong Hak-yu.
A Family of Eight Okdang Generations
Jeong Yak-yong grew up in a family settled at Majae since his fifth-generation ancestor Jeong Si-yun. Wikipedia says Si-yun moved to Majae to escape factional strife when the Southerners fell in 1694. The clan association's 'Nine Okdang' counts through Jeong Do-bok after Si-yun, one more than the eight Yak-yong himself counted.
Jeongjo and Hwaseong
Favoured by Jeongjo, he worked at the Gyujanggak and took part in the pontoon bridge over the Han and the building of Hwaseong at Suwon. Wikipedia says he helped design Hwaseong and used a crane.
His Relation to Catholicism
Scholars differ on how Jeong Yak-yong ended his involvement with Catholicism. The general view is that he broke with it after the Jinsan incident, but some researchers argue he only outwardly apostatised, and others rebut this. Dallet's Histoire de l'Église de Corée is also disputed, so both views are given here.
Exile at Gangjin and His Writings
He is known to have systematised his learning in Gangjin and written the Mokmin Simseo, Gyeongse Yupyo and Heumheum Sinseo, which deal with local magistrates' duties, institutional reform and principles of criminal judgment. His years at Dasan Chodang are regarded as his scholarship's maturity.
Grave
His tomb lies near his house at Majae (Neungnae-ri, Joan-myeon, Namyangju), where the birthplace Yeoyudang, the Dasan heritage site and the Silhak Museum stand. In Gangjin is Dasan Chodang, where he stayed in exile.
Descendants
Sons include Jeong Hak-yeon and Jeong Hak-yu; grandsons Jeong Dae-rim and Jeong Dae-mu; and great-grandson Jeong Mun-seop is said to have passed the civil examination. Jeong Hak-yu is known as author of the Nongga Wolryeong-ga.