Influence of Chinese natural philosophy on the formation of Korean anthroponyms

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to provide a complex scientific description of traditional principles of Korean anthroponyms formation. An anthroponymic system is the reflection of national culture, therefore its description cannot be limited to linguistic analysis only, it should be carried out with the reference to ethnology, history, philosophy, theology and other disciplines. The history and culture of Korean peninsula countries is tightly connected with the history and culture of China with the onomastic system being no exception. Traditional principles of formation of Korean anthroponyms have Chinese origin. Basic philosophic concepts that influenced the name giving principles in the Korean language are the theory of the unity of the opposites Yin and Yang (음양 – 陰陽) and concept of five elements or Wuxing (오행 – 五行). It is believed that the main ideas of each of these theories being realized in the signs of a name have an impact on a person’s fate and define a person’s character. According to Yin and Yang theory, every sign in a name depending on its constituent elements is in correlation with one of the two opposites, male or female principles, light or dark, etc. Ideally a name should combine Yin and Yang, while the dominance of one principle and the absence of the other make the name lacking harmony. Wuxing concept is based on the assumption that every sign in a name is related to one of the fifth primary elements: fire, water, air, earth and metal. According to this theory a person’s name should have such a combination of elements that would bring harmony and not destruction. Initially both concepts were applied to ideographic signs and characters that constituted a traditional Korean name, nevertheless these principles are observed nowadays in the creation of Korean names without characters usage. This research has been carried out within the grant agreement “Establishment of the Center for Korean Studies at Irkutsk State University” with the support of the Korea International Exchange Foundation (KF-2021).