『治平要覽』: ‘史外傳心’의 要典

Abstract

“The Abridged version for fair Governance”(治平要覽, 1445) 150-volume, which was compiled by scholars from Hall of Worthies in Se-jong of Chosun dynasty, is a book for looking at the rise and fall of past kingdoms in China and national history. King Se-jong wanted to acquire political lessons from past history of China and Korea, and at the same time he tried to leave a core of Confucian politics to his descendants. This book has a characteristic that distinguishes it from the form of general historical books in that the ‘chronological records’ which specifies the Lunar calendar and the reign of the monarch, is intentionally omitted.
 After completing the compilation of the book, Jung In-ji told Sejong, “This book is the Essential text over the historical record that transmits the Confucius’s mind.” This word originally came from A Commentary of The Spring and Autumn Annals written by Hu An-Guo in Song Dynasty.
 This book is also like a political textbook or guide book provided for king's rule. and mainly adopted a principle that was reflected by Confucius's The spring and Autumn Annals(『春秋』) with a view of Confucianism. This thesis is a new perspective on the essential characteristics of “The Abridged version for fair Governance” based on the above facts.