earticle

한국어

This study examines Sangrye-eonhae (Vernacular Explication of Funerary Rites, 喪禮諺解), a text compiled by a Confucian scholar in 17th-18th century Joseon. It analyzes the text’s structure and scope, its relationship with the Chinese commentary Sangrye-biyo (喪禮備要), the methods and patterns of textual citation, and the types and content of annotations. Unlike translations based on specific Classical Chinese texts, Sangrye-eonhae is a Korean-language work that focuses on explaining Joseon’s funerary rites in an accessible vernacular form. This distinctive feature makes it particularly noteworthy. Two versions of Sangrye-eonhae have been preserved: a manuscript from 1716 and a lead-type edition from 1935, with the latter based on the former. Accordingly, this study primarily analyzes the 1716 manuscript. The original author of Sangrye-eonhae was Yi Nansu (李鸞壽), and the text includes a preface written by Kim Jang-saeng (金長生) in 1623. Given this, the initial draft of Sangrye-eonhae is estimated to have been compiled around 1620. A descendant of the Gwangsan Kim clan later revised and supplemented the text based on Sangrye-biyo, producing a revised manuscript in 1716. While this revision is explicitly noted for supplementing illustrations related to mourning attire and funerary items, the inclusion of textual citations and annotations appears to be another element introduced in later revisions. Although many citations reference Chinese sources, they were mostly re-cited from Joseon texts. This study confirms that Sangrye-eonhae references not only Sangrye-biyo but also other works such as Garye-jipnam (家禮輯覽) and Uirye-munhae (疑禮問解). The annotations vary in content, including explanations of Sino-Korean terms, Korean equivalents for object names, interpretations of kinship terms centered on women, and supplementary explanations regarding mourning procedures and attire systems for women.