South Asian Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (SARJHSS)
Volume-2 | Issue-06
Original Research Article
If I Think That I, Myself, am a Fool (369th-384th of Tcheonzamun, the Thousand Character Essay)
Hyeonhi Regina Park, Jiah Anna Kim, Rosa Kim, Alain Hamon, Sohwa Therese Kim, Sangdeog Augustin Kim
Published : Nov. 30, 2020
Abstract
The researchers translated the poem of 16 characters from 369th to 384th letters. 369-372. It will be really good for me to do such a splendid thing. It may be favorable if I come in front of the other ones after being a complete man or woman. In front of my students of Department of Companion animal and animal resources science in Joongbu University, of my five children (Sohwa Therese, Rosa, Jiah Anna, Kunjoo Daegeon-Andrea, Jieun Agatha), and of my wife Hyeonhi Regina. But such a condition does not come to me forever. I am always deficient. So I cannot become a complete one, even the time passed up to my death! 373-376 this phrase tells us “I must not abandon the purpose now (弗離)! Even though my character and my behavior are not enough good, but I plan to do the thing someday again in order to have a better attitude for the life (造次).” So I must keep the thing, and then, I can proceed to culture my appearance gradually. In this phrase of Tcheonzamun the first part is more important than the last part. It is similar to the Korean language. In Korean language the first part is important. While in Chinese language the last part is important. Tcheonzamun can be understood well in the Korean language style. So it is considered that Tcheonzamun have been written but by ancient Korean people, not by Chinese people. 377-380. It will be very nice and beautiful if I say modestly “I am sorry!” However, if I think that I am a valueless man or such a woman, is it good or not? No, it is not favorable. I must neither think that I is a fool, nor I must blame myself. Such a thing, it is written in the next phrase of 4 letters (381st-384th). 381-384 I am destined to stand as an incomplete man. However, I, Augustin Kim, must not say to me “You cannot become a good man anyway, even though you try hard to attain such a good state! Because it is impossible for you!” Yes, I must always have ‘a whispering voice of’ hope. In order that I am able to get up from the miserable place (顚沛), I must consider myself ‘as a valuable man or as such a woman (匪虧).’ And then, I can change from the poor state into the favorable one step by step. To the complete state, even though it cannot be obtained!