An Analysis on How Neo-Confucian Literary Views Influenced Lee Cheom in Korea: Focusing on His Rhetorical Expressions

As a method to empirically examine how neo-Confucian literary views were accepted and understood by scholars of late Koryeo and early Joseon dynasties, this study dealt with Lee Cheom(李詹, 1345~1405). Lee was a leading scholar in those days. The fact that Lee had explored neo- Confucianism and created unique colorful writing styles has been discovered by previous researches. This study specifically analyzed the path through which he had come to understand neo-Confucianism and the cases where his neo-Confucian literary views were revealed. Through various bibliographical documents, this study could identify that Lee read books like Gyeokyangjip(『擊壤集』), SeongrigunseoGuhe(『性理群書句解』), Geunsarok(『近思錄』), writings of Juhi(朱熹), Yirak- yeonwonrok(『伊洛淵源錄』), etc. We can recognize that, even if it was not easy to publish books and, thus, acquire them, Lee could access various good books. Based on such exploration, this study analyzed what Lee wrote: ‘Parkpansa Ilbonhaengrokbal’[<朴判事日本行錄跋>, ‘Excerpts of Records of Judge Park's Travel to Japan’] written in around 1370 and ‘Eochochang- hwasiseo’[<漁樵唱和詩序>, ‘Preface to Eochochanghwa Poem’] in 1396. In these two writings, Lee effectively revealed his neo-Confucian literary views by citing ‘Mosiseo’(<毛詩序>) and ‘Sijipjeonseo’(<詩集傳序>), and using rhetorical expressions of ‘Hyeongdamchanghwasiseo’(<荆潭唱和詩序>) of Han Yu(韓愈; 768~824), a famous poet of Tang dynasty. Through such searches, this study could identify the concrete path through which Lee formed his neo-Confucianism and neo-Confucian literary views, and that his expressions were greatly influenced by writings of Han Yu.