Seongho Yi Ik: The New Compilation of the Four Beginnings and Seven Emotions

Seongho Yi Ik: The New Compilation of the Four Beginnings and Seven Emotions is the first complete English translation of Sachil sinpyeon, a seminal work by the eighteenth-century Korean philosopher Seongho Yi Ik (1681–1763). This influential text offers a rich reinterpretation of the longstanding Four-Seven Debate—the philosophical discourse on the relationship between moral emotions (the Four Beginnings) and personal emotions (the Seven Emotions). Comprising a preface, sixteen main essays, and six supplementary essays, Seongho's New Compilation presents clear definitions, compelling arguments, conceptual innovations, vivid analogies, and original diagrams that illuminate the intricacies of Confucian moral psychology. This work offers enduring insights into the nature of human emotions and practical guidance for moral cultivation. In addition to a carefully annotated translation, this volume includes a comprehensive introduction and interpretive essay that clarify his typology of emotions and his reimagining of core Confucian concepts. Designed to support both specialist and general readers, it fills a crucial gap in English-language scholarship on Korean Confucianism and serves as an ideal gateway to Seongho's broader philosophical thought. With its interdisciplinary significance, this work will appeal to scholars of East Asian philosophy, moral psychology, virtue ethics, and comparative philosophy. Anyone interested in the ethics of emotion and the cultivation of moral character will find in this volume a powerful account of emotional life—one that resonates across cultures and centuries with the moral challenges we continue to face today.

1 - The Meaning of the Four Beginnings
2 - The Meaning of the Seven Emotions
3 - Cases in Which the Four Beginnings Are Not Manifested in Proper Measure
4 - The Seven Emotions of Sages and Worthies
5 - The Four Beginnings and the Seven Emotions Have Similarities
6 - The Seven Emotions Cut Across the Four Beginnings
7 - The Four Beginnings and the Seven Emotions Have Differences
8 - The Seven Emotions Are Simply the Human Mind
9 - The Seven Emotions Listen to the Commands of the Four Beginnings
10 - There is Also Nothing Bad in the Seven Emotions
11 - The Seven Emotions Can Also Arise from the Dao Mind
12 - The Ancients Held Divergent Views on Emotions
13 - The Analogy of Riding a Boat
14 - The Analogy of the Moon Reflected in Water
15 - Further Explanation of the Horse-Riding Analogy
16 - Explanation of the Diagrams
17 - Recorded Doubts While Reading Master Toegye's Letters
18 - Recorded Doubts While Reading Gi Gobong's Theory of the Four—Seven
19 - Recorded Doubts While Reading Yi Yulgok's Letters
20 - Postscript to Zhen Xishan's Interpretation of the Mencius
21 - Epilogue
22 - Supplementary Postscript

Youngsun Back is Associate Professor in the Department of Confucian Studies and Eastern Philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University, Korea. Her research interest lies in the ethical and political dimensions of Chinese and Korean philosophy. Her recent publications include "The Mencian Theory of Royal Succession" (Philosophical Forum, 2024), "Yi Ik on Compassion and Grief" (Religions, 2023), and "Revealing Contingency through Shun's Ascension to the Throne" (Early China, 2020). Additionally, she co-edited Traditional Korean Philosophy: Problems and Debates (2016). So-Jeong Park is Professor of Korean Philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University and the Director of Institute of Korean Philosophy and Culture (IKPC), where she leads the K-Academic Expansion Project (KAEP). Her research focus ranges from Korean philosophy and comparative philosophy to the philosophy of music. In addition to publishing widely in Korean and Chinese philosophy, she has developed several online courses on Coursera, including "Introduction to Korean Philosophy and Culture," "In Search for the Origins of Korean Philosophy," and "Korean Music: A Philosophical Exploration." Na Ha is Senior Researcher at the K-Academic Expansion Project (KAEP), affiliated with Institute of Korean Philosophy and Culture (IKPC) at Sungkyunkwan University. She earned her PhD in Korean philosophy from Sungkyunkwan University. Her dissertation, titled Seongho Yi Ik's Four—Seven Theory as the Convergence and Transfiguration of Toegye and Yulgok, explores the development of Korean Confucian emotional theory through the use of digital humanities.