Editorial Department of the Institute for the Translation of Korean Classics: Daemyeongnyul Jikhae 1

The *Daemyungnyul Jikhae* is a book that translates the Ming Dynasty's *Daemyungnyul* into Idu to make it easier to understand, taking into account the actual circumstances of Joseon. Although the *Daemyungnyul* had already been introduced and studied during the late Goryeo period, it was written in Classical Chinese and contained particularly difficult legal texts, which meant it did not fully suit the conditions of Joseon. For this reason, there was a need to provide a direct translation or interpretation of the *Daemyungnyul*—which had a tremendous impact on the lives of the common people—so that anyone could easily understand it. Accordingly, Jo Jun, acting on the orders of King Taejo of Joseon, commissioned Go Sa-gyeong and Kim Ji to translate the original text into Idu, and Jeong Do-jeon and Dang Seong revised the text; it was published in 1395 (the 4th year of King Taejo's reign) as a 30-volume, 4-book work. Prior to this, King Taejo had declared in his accession decree that the *Daemyungnyul* must be applied when punishing crimes. After the application of the *Daemyungnyul* was codified in the *Hyungjeon* (Criminal Code) of the *Gyeonggukdaejeon*, published in 1485 (the 16th year of King Seongjong's reign), the *Daemyungnyul* was applied as the general law of criminal law in Korea throughout the Joseon Dynasty. This book, composed of *Daemyungnyul Jikhae* and *Gyogampyojeom Daemyungnyul Jikhae*, will serve as an important source for the study of the legal history of the Joseon Dynasty and the Middle Korean language. The *Daemyungnyul* consists of 30 chapters and 30 volumes, and follows a six-chapter system with the *Myeongnye-pyeon* (Chapter on Names and Regulations) at the beginning, containing the six laws of officials, households, rituals, military affairs, criminal punishment, and public works. The Rules of Officials consist of two sections, the Office System and the Official System, and the Rules of Households consist of seven sections, including Household Service, Land and Housing, Marriage, Warehouses, Courses, Money and Debt, and Markets.

Korean title: 대명률직해 1

Korean author: 한국고전번역원 편집부

Korean publisher: 한국고전번역원

ISBN-13: 9788928405756