Wikipedia

Taegeuk

This article is about traditional Korean symbol. For original Chinese cosmological term, seeTaiji (philosophy).For the taekwondo poomsae, seeTaegeuk (taekwondo).
Not to be confused withPepsi Globe.

Taegeuk(Korean:태극;Hanja:Thái Cực,Korean pronunciation:[tʰɛgɯk̚]) is aSino-Koreanterm meaning "supreme ultimate", although it can also be translated as "great polarity / duality".[1][2]The term and its overall concept is derived from the ChineseTaiji,popularised in the west as theYin and Yang.The symbol was chosen for the design of theKoreannational flagin the 1880s. It substitutes the black and white color scheme often seen in mosttaijituillustrations with blue and red, respectively, along with a horizontal separator, as opposed to vertical.

Taegeuk
Thetaegeukfound on theflagandemblemof South Korea
Korean name
Hangul
태극
Hanja
Thái Cực
Revised RomanizationTaegeuk
McCune–ReischauerT'aegŭk

South Koreans commonly refer to their national flag astaegeuk-gi(태극기), wheregi(기) means "flag" or "banner".[3]This particular color-themedtaegeuksymbol is typically associated with Korean traditions and represents balance in the universe; the red half represents positive cosmic forces, and the blue half represents the complementary or opposing, negative cosmic forces. It is also used inKorean shamanism,Confucianism,Taoism,andBuddhism.[4][5]

History

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Thetaegeukdiagram has been existent for the majority of writtenKorean history.[6]The origins of the interlocking-sinusoiddesign in Korea can be traced to as early as theGoguryeoorSilla period,e.g. in the decoration of a sword, dated to the 5th or 6th century, recovered from the grave ofMichu of Silla,[7]or an artifact with thetaegeukpattern of similar age found in the Bogam-ri tombs ofBaekjeatNaju,South Jeolla Provincein 2008.[8][9]In the compound of Gameunsa, a temple built in AD 628 during the reign ofKing Jinpyeong of Silla,a stone object, perhaps the foundation of apagoda,is carved with thetaegeukdesign.[3][10]

InGojoseon,the ancient kingdom of Joseon, the design was used to express the hope for harmony ofyin and yang.[3][11]It is likely due to the earliest spread of ancient Chinese culture inGojoseon,especially during the earlyZhou dynasty.[12]

Today thetaegeukis usually associated with Korean tradition and represents balance in the universe, as mentioned in the previous section (red is양;yang,or positive cosmic forces, and blue is음;yin,or negative cosmic forces). Among its many religious connotations (Korean Confucianism;Taoism in Korea;Korean Buddhism), the taegeuk is also present inKorean shamanism.[4][5]

South Korea's national flag

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TheFlag of South Korea,also known as theTaegeukgi(Korean:태극기), has a blue and redtaegeukin the center.

Thetaegeuksymbol is most prominently displayed in the center ofSouth Korea's national flag,called theTaegeukgi,literallytaegeuk flag(along with four of the eighttrigramsused in divination). Because of the Taegeuk's association with the national flag, it is often used as a patriotic symbol, as are the colors red, blue, and black.

Though thetaegeukand the trigrams have been used since the earliest periods of Korean history, its use had started earlier inChina.[13]

Thetaegeukis a Taoist icon which symbolizes cosmic balance, and represents the constant interaction between theyin and yang,also known aseum/yang(Korean:음양;Hanja:Âm dương).[14][13]Thetaegeuksymbol used on the flag originated from the Chinese Confucian classic known asThe Book of Changes(also known asI ChingorYijing), a book developed for use indivination.[15][16]

The four trigrams also originated from theI Ching;each of these trigrams represent specific Confucian virtues, cosmic elements, or family roles, in addition to seasons, compass directions, etc.[13][14][16]The건;geontrigram (☰) represents the heaven (sky), summer, south, father, and justice. The곤;gontrigram (☷) symbolizes the earth (ground), winter, north, mother, and vitality, the감;gamtrigram (☵) the moon, autumn, west, 2nd (or middle) son, and wisdom, and the리;ritrigram (☲) the sun, spring, east, 2nd (or middle) daughter, and fruition. The four trigrams supposedly move in an endless cycle from "geon" to "ri" to "gon" to "gam" and back to "geon" in their pursuit of perfection.[17]

The white background symbolizes the homogeneity, integrity and purity of the Korean people. For thousands of years,Korean people nearly exclusively wore white clothing.This eventually led to the rise of the nickname "white-clothed people" for Koreans. Therefore, the colour white is often considered associated with the Korean people.[18][6][17]

Variants

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Tricoloredtaegeuk

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Hand fan with a tricoloredtaegeukdesign

A variant in South Korea is the tricoloredtaegeuk(sam·saeg·ui tae·geuk삼색의 태극orsam·tae·geuk삼태극), which adds a yellow lobe orpa(파;Ba). The yellow portion is taken as representing humanity, in addition to the red and blue representing earth and heaven, respectively.

A rendition of the tricoloredtaegeukalso appeared in the official logo of the1988 Summer Olympicsaccompanied by the five Olympic rings.[19]

Paralympics symbol

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Further information:Paralympic symbols
First Paralympic symbol (1988–1994) used fivepa.

The first designatedParalympiclogo, created for the1988 Summer ParalympicsinSeoul,was based on the traditionalpa,the spiral orsinusoidcomponents making up thetaegeuksymbol. In March 1992,[20]the Paralympic symbol was changed to a version utilizing only threepa.This was not fully adopted until after the1994 Winter ParalympicsinLillehammer,Norway,since the Lillehammer Paralympic Organizing Committee had by then already started a marketing program based on the five-pa version. The three-paversion remained in place from the close of the Lillehammer Games through the2004 Summer ParalympicsinAthens,Greece.[21][22]The currentParalympic symbolhas morphed the teardrop-shapedpainto more of aswoosh,but still employs three such colour swatches, one each of red, blue, and green.

Miss Asia Pacific World

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The logo for theMiss Asia Pacific WorldBeauty Pageant,which began in Seoul, South Korea in 2011, is another example of the tricoloredtaegeuksymbol.

Governmental emblem

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TheGovernment of South Koreaunveiled new uniform visual identity for governmental institutions on 15 March 2016, it uses a stylized bluepawith a red arch, representing the country's history and traditions and its vision for the future. This replaced the formerHibiscus syriacusinsignia used by government as well as insignia of each government institutions, due to their failure to achieve public awareness and highly costs.[23][24]

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  • taegeukpattern painted on the gate of a house inNaju
  • Tricoloredtaegeukon abuk drum
  • Samtaegeukon the Reception Hall of theBlue House
  • Tricoloredtaegeukencircled bypal gwae.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Gukgiwon (국기원) (2005).Taekwondo textbook.Seoul: 오성출판사. p. 303.ISBN9788973367504.Retrieved2 March2016.
  2. ^Rogers, William Elford (1994).Interpreting Interpretation: Textual Hermeneutics as an Ascetic Discipline.University Park, Pa: Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 303.ISBN9780271010618.Retrieved2 March2016.
  3. ^abcKorean overseas information service (2003).Handbook of Korea(11. ed.). Seoul: Korean Overseas Information Service. p. 568.ISBN9788973750054.Retrieved3 March2016.
  4. ^abKim, Sang Yil; Ro, Young Chan (1984).Hanism as Korean mind: interpretation of Han philosophy.Los Angeles, Calif.: Eastern Academy of Human Sciences. p. 66.ISBN0932713009.Retrieved2 March2016.
  5. ^abKorea's Sam-Taegeuk Symbol.san-shin.org, dedicated to the sacred mountains of Korea.
  6. ^abIslam, M. Rafiqul (2014).Unconventional Gas Reservoirs: Evaluation, Appraisal, and Development.Elsevier. p. 352.ISBN9780128005941.Retrieved3 March2016.
  7. ^Proceedings of the International Symposium on Cultivation and Utilization of Asian, Sub-tropical, and Underutilized Horticultural Crops: Seoul, Korea, August 13–19, 2006(2011), p. 48
  8. ^국내 nhất cổ 태극무늬, 1400년 만에 햇빛Dong-A Science, Yoon wan-jun, 2009-06-04
  9. ^"Oldest Taegeuk Pattern Found in Naju".The Korea Times.2009-06-03.Retrieved2013-01-12.
  10. ^경주감은사지Encyclopedia of Korea
  11. ^An Illustrated Guide to Korean Culture - 233 traditional key words by The National Academy of the Korean Language
  12. ^Yoon, Hong-key (2006).The culture of fengshui in Korea: an exploration of East Asian geomancy.Lanham, MD: Le xing ton Books.ISBN978-0-7391-5385-7.OCLC607859287.
  13. ^abcConfucianism, a habit of the heart.Philip J. Ivanhoe, Sungmoon Kim. Albany. 2016. p. 4.ISBN978-1-4384-6014-7.OCLC936547932.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  14. ^abPrescott, Anne (2015).East Asia in the world: an introduction.New York: Routledge.ISBN978-0-7656-4321-6.OCLC894625952.
  15. ^한국학의과제와전망: Yesul, sasang, sahoepʻyŏn.Vol. 2. 한국정신문화연구원. Quốc tế hiệp lực thất. 한국정신문화연구원. 1988. p. 297.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: others (link)
  16. ^abTaylor, Insup; Taylor, M. Martin (1995-12-07).Writing and Literacy in Chinese, Korean and Japanese.Studies in Written Language and Literacy. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. p. 145.doi:10.1075/swll.3.ISBN978-90-272-1794-3.
  17. ^abLudden, Ken (2010).Mystic Apprentice Volume 3: Meditative Skills with Symbols and Glyphs Supplemental.Lulu. p. 131.ISBN9780557728503.Retrieved3 March2016.
  18. ^박, 성수."백의민족 ( bạch y dân tộc )"[The White Clothed People].Encyclopedia of Korean Culture(in Korean).Retrieved2023-09-29.
  19. ^"Olympic Games Seoul 1988".Olympics.
  20. ^Vom Rehabilitationssport zu den ParalympicsArchived2012-03-05 at theWayback Machine(German), Sportmuseum Leipzig
  21. ^"New Logo and Motto for IPC".International Paralympic Committee. 2003. Archived fromthe originalon 6 April 2008.Retrieved18 August2015.
  22. ^International Paralympic Committee - The IPC logo, motto and flag,CRWFlags
  23. ^Jeon, Han."Government hoists new insignia".Korea.net.Retrieved23 July2024.
  24. ^Lee, Woo-young (15 March 2016)."Government introduces new logo".The Korean Herald.Retrieved7 August2024.
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