Jeong Cheol

Jeong Cheol 정철
Left State Councillor
In office 13 March 1590 – 24 February 1591
Preceded by	Yi San-hae
Succeeded by	Ryu Seong-ryong
Right State Councillor
In office 8 December 1589 – March 1590
Preceded by	Jeong Eon-sin
Succeeded by	Sim Su-gyeong
Personal details
Born	(1536-12-18)18 December 1536
Died	7 February 1594(1594-02-07)(aged 57)
Korean name
Hangul	정철
Hanja	Trịnh triệt
Revised Romanization	Jeong Cheol
McCune–Reischauer	Chŏng Ch'ŏl

In thisKorean name,the family name isJeong.

Jeong Cheol(Korean:정철;Hanja:Trịnh triệt;18 December 1536 – 7 February 1594) was aKoreanstatesmanandpoet.He used the pen-namesGyeham(계함) andSonggang(송강), and studied under Kim Yunjae atHwanbyeokdang.He was expelled by theEasterners.He was from the Yeonil Jeong clan (연일 정씨;Duyên ngày Trịnh thị).

Family

• Grandfather
  • Jeong Woe (정위;Trịnh vi)
• Father
  • Jeong Yu-chim (정유침;Trịnh duy Thẩm)
• Mother
  • Lady Ahn of theJuksan Ahn clan(죽산 안씨;Trúc sơn an thị)
• Siblings
  • Older brother - Jeong So (정소;Trịnh chiểu)
  • Older sister - Royal Consort Gwi-in of the Yeonil Jeong clan (귀인 정씨;August 1520 – 25 March 1566)
    • Brother-in-law -King Injong of Joseon(조선 인종;10 March 1515 – 7 August 1545)
  • Older sister - Princess Consort Ohcheon of the Yeonil Jeong clan (오천군부인 연일 정씨;Ô xuyên quận phu nhân duyên ngày Trịnh thị)
    • Brother-in-law - Yi Yu, Prince Gyerim (계림군 유;Quế Lâm quân lưu)
      • Nephew - Yi Si (연양정 이시;Duyên dương chính Lý thị)
• Wives and their children
  • Lady Ryu of theMunhwa Ryu clan(문화 류씨;Văn hóa Liễu thị)
    • Son - Jeong Ki-myeong (정기명;Trịnh chấn minh;?–1589)
      • Grandson - Jeong Woon (정운;Trịnh vân)
    • Son - Jeong Jong-myeong (정종명;Trịnh Tông minh)
      • Grandson - Jeong Jik (정직;Trịnh 溭)
      • Grandson - Jeong Su (정수;Trịnh thù)
      • Grandson - Jeong Yeon (정연;Trịnh duyện)
      • Grandson - Jeong Yang (정양;Trịnh dưỡng;1600–1662)
      • Grandson - Jeong Jeon (정전;Trịnh điến)
    • Son - Jeong Jin-myeong (정진명;Trịnh chấn minh)
    • Son - Jeong Hong-myeong (정홍명;Trịnh hoằng minh;7 March 1582 – 2 October 1650)
      • Grandson - Jeong Yi (정이;Trịnh lị)
  • Concubine - Jin-ok (기녀 진옥;Chân ngọc)
  • Concubine - Lady Kang-ah (강아;Giang nga)

Literary works

He is prominent in thegasaand thesijo,which are forms of classicalKorean poetry.

The following two poems are an exchange between Jeong Cheol and thegisaengJinok. Jeong is playing on Jinok's name, which means Genuine Gem. First he calls her a gem (ok; ngọc ), then suggests she is an imitation (beon-ok; phần ngọc ) and finally finds her to be genuine (jin-ok; chân ngọc ).

옥( ngọc )이 옥( ngọc )이라 커늘 번옥( phần ngọc )으로 여겼더니
이제야 보아하니 진옥( chân ngọc )일시 분명하다
나에게 살 송곳 있으니 뚫어볼까 하노라

Gem, oh, they talk of a gem
but I thought it an imitation.
Now I know for certain
it is a genuine gem.
My thrusting gimlet
will carry you with me.
- Jeong Cheol to Jinok

Jinok replies by playing on the name of Jeong Cheol ( Trịnh triệt ), first calling him iron (cheol; thiết ), then suggesting he might be false iron (seop-cheol; nhiếp thiết ) and finally discovering he is genuine iron (jeong cheol; chính thiết ). Unquestionably bawdy, this exchange is one of the finest examples of satire insijo— a poetic form that placed high value on wit,double entendreandword play.

철( thiết )이 철( thiết )이라커늘 섭철( nhiếp thiết )로만 여겼더니
이제야 보아하니 정철( chính thiết )일시 분명하다
나에게 골풀무 있으니 녹여볼까 하노라

Iron, oh, they talk of iron
but I thought it false.
Now I know for certain
it is true iron.
My pair of bellows
will smelt it.
- Jinok to Jeong Cheol

Other Works:

• Gwandong Byeolgok(The Song of the Sceneries of theGwandong).
• Samiingok(Mindful of My Seemly Lord).
• Songgang Gasa(Songgang's Prose Poetry Book).

Popular culture

• Portrayed by Park-woong in the 1995KBS2TV SeriesWest Palace.
• Portrayed byJoo Jin-moin the 2014KBS2TV seriesThe King's Face.
• Portrayed by Sun Dong-Hyuk in the 2015KBS2TV seriesThe Jingbirok: A Memoir of Imjin War.

Legacy

• Acrateron Mercury was named after him in 1979.

See also

• Korean literature
• Joseon Dynasty