李師朱堂 『胎敎新記』의 성리학적 해석

Abstract

This study analyzes Yi Sajudang’s(李師朱堂) Taegyo singi (胎敎新記) from a Neo-Confucian perspective and considers how Yi Sajudang supplements the Neo-Confucian idea. The Taegyo singi has been studied mainly from the perspectives of feminism, Confucianism, and traditional prenatal education in East Asia in previous research. This study looks at a different perspective on women’s views on Neo-Confucianism in Yi Sajudang’s argument based on the findings of previous research. First, Yi Sajudang elevates the prenatal stage as the beginning of Neo- Confucianism’s conception of humanity. This offers an answer to the Qizhi(氣質) change, which refers to the challenge of cultivation from Neo-Confucianism’s humanistic point of view. Second, by focusing on becoming the mother of Junzi(君子), Yi Sajudang creates a pathway for women—especially pregnant women—to engage in the development of their personality, even while she does not assert that women can become Junzi(君子) due to historical constraints. Third, she interprets the overarching traditional medical arguments—which emphasize the emotional stability of pregnant women—as Neo-Confucianism’s zhongjie(中節) of Qiqing(七情). Fourth, she employs the dual meaning of Xin(心) to elucidate the foundational principles of prenatal education as the cultivation of the pregnant woman’s Jing(敬) mind.