명자설(名字說)과 아버지의 글쓰기- 송대(宋代)를 중심으로

Abstract

This is one of the studies about ‘Father’s Writings in Ancient Times.’ One’s name plays a fundamental role in differentiating one from others. Besides that, we don’t care about ‘name’ that much. For the ancient shi (士), however, ‘giving a name’ was a very important and sacred thing, enough to decide one’s fate by its meaning. One lives as given name is telling and warning throughout his life. Especially, Mingzishuo (名字說), the prose about giving one’s child a name which I’d like to focus on in this work, shows the father’s dearest wish toward his kid. It also explains the meanings of a name. Therefore, it could be not only the only one prose for his child, but also a thoughtful guide of life presented by his father. The ancient shi (士) is a home manager, and raises his children as an educator. While putting the prose into perspective, I find the status of it very special. Even though the style is a little bit patriarchal and authoritarian, the father tries to communicate with his child with his own sensitiveness. Thanks to that, the prose has literary value and it appears that love for one’s child performs very kindly, but sometimes strictly. In this work I tried to describe the father’s universal mind and perspective images in ancient times, especially focusing on Mingzishuo (名字說), which came on the stage during the Song Dynasty.