The Symbolic Meanings of Seoul's Four Great Gates in the Joseon Dynasty
During the Joseon Dynasty, the four great gates of Hanseong (Seoul) – Namdaemun, Bukdaemun, Seodaemun, and Dongdaemun – were associated with the Confucian virtues of In (仁, benevolence), Ui (義, righteousness), Ye (禮, propriety), and Ji (智, wisdom). This was because each gate name was symbolically imbued with one of the four most important Confucian virtues.
1. The Four Great Gates and the Four Virtues
Sungnyemun (崇禮門, Namdaemun) → Ye (禮, Propriety)
Meaning 'to revere propriety,' the virtue of propriety was symbolically assigned to the south gate of Joseon's capital.
Hongjimmun (弘智門, Bukdaemun, currently Sukjeongmun) → Ji (智, Wisdom)
Meaning 'to widely promote wisdom,' Ji (wisdom) was symbolically associated with the north direction.
Donuimun (敦義門, Seodaemun) → Ui (義, Righteousness)
Meaning 'to strengthen righteousness,' Ui (righteousness) was assigned to the west gate. Restoration is planned by 2035.
Heunginjimun (興仁之門, Dongdaemun) → In (仁, Benevolence)
Meaning 'to promote benevolence,' In (benevolence) was symbolically assigned to the east gate.
2. Reasons for These Names
Joseon built its capital, Hanseong, based on Confucian political ideology. Therefore, the city gates were imbued with core Confucian values to instill these values in both the people and officials.
The placement of each virtue in the four directions symbolized the balance between state administration and moral standards.
This was intended to have a symbolic and educational effect, reminding everyone passing through the gates of the corresponding virtue.
3. Historical Background
The gates were built along with the construction of Hanyang's city walls in 1396 (5th year of King Taejo's reign).
The gate names were not merely geographical locations but were intended to represent the spiritual pillars of a Neo-Confucian state.
The order of 'In, Ui, Ye, Ji' was assigned to the directions regardless of the gate's location: East (仁), West (義), South (禮), North (智).
East – In (仁, Benevolence): Heunginjimun (興仁之門) → To elevate benevolence.
West – Ui (義, Righteousness): Donuimun (敦義門) → To strengthen righteousness.
South – Ye (禮, Propriety): Sungnyemun (崇禮門) → To revere propriety.
North – Ji (智, Wisdom): Sukjeongmun (肅靖門) / Hongjimmun (弘智門) → To widely promote wisdom.
- The Reason Heunginjimun (興仁之門) Has Four Characters and Includes 'Ji (之)'
The story that "Naksan Mountain was low, weakening its energy, so 'Ji (之)' was added" is a well-known feng shui interpretation.
In other words, Naksan Mountain (the left Azure Dragon) surrounding Hanyang Fortress was considered lower and weaker in energy than other mountains. To compensate for this, '之' was added, according to feng shui.
Explanation Based on Historical Records
Wikipedia explicitly mentions the reason for adding '之' when the name was changed after repairs in the late Joseon period:
"It is said that '之' was specially added to make it four characters in order to boost the energy of Hanyang's east side, according to feng shui."
The National Institute of Korean History's data also aligns with this:
"King Jeongjo said that the reason why the plaque of Dongdaemun had one more character...was because the east side of Hanyang was empty.... The name was made four characters in order to boost the energy because the earth energy was weak."
Here, the main reason is based on feng shui considerations, interpreting that the name was created to supplement the eastern energy by adding '之'.
Conversation Between King Yeongjo and His Officials
The (Diary of the Royal Secretariat) contains a record of King Yeongjo directly mentioning this issue:
Yeongjo: "Why is '之' added to Heunginmun, making it Heunginjimun?"
Principal Secretary Lee Gi-eon: "I have heard that the eastern waterway (水口) of Hanseong is very weak. It is said that a Gokseong (木城, wooden castle) was built to compensate for this weakness, and '之' was written on the plaque."
Yeongjo replied to this explanation, "It is convincing."
In other words, this is also an explanation based on the feng shui belief that the weakness of the terrain was compensated for with a single character.
Conclusion
The interpretation that "Naksan Mountain was low and its energy was insufficient, so '之' was added" is widely accepted as one of the representative feng shui explanations.
Various historical documents and records support this, consistently conveying the interpretation that "'之' was added to boost the eastern energy because it was weak."
In particular, the fact that Yeongjo directly discussed this issue and said it was "convincing" shows that this explanation was transmitted with a certain degree of authority, going beyond mere folk tradition.
“Of the four great gates, only Heunginjimun has four characters. This is also because Naksan Mountain is low and its energy is weak, so the character '之,' meaning mountain range, was added to the name to strengthen the weak energy of the left Azure Dragon.”
No comments yet.
