『명심보감(明心寶鑑) 』과 『소학(小學)』의 우정론 - 『교우론(交友論)』과 비교하여

Abstract

This study aims to reconstruct key themes of the traditional East Asian discourse on friendship by comparing the friendship theories presented in the “On Friendship” (Gyoupyeon, 交友篇) section of the Myeongsimbogam (明心寶鑑) and the “Friendship Between Friends” (Bungujigyo, 朋友之交) section of the Sohak (小學) with Matteo Ricci’s on Friendship (交友論). While the Myeongsimbogam originally integrated Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist teachings, it came to be read predominantly within a Confucian framework after the mid-Joseon period. Meanwhile, the Sohak, an introductory Confucian ethics text grounded in the Five Cardinal Relationships (五倫), was held in high esteem by Sarim (士林) scholars in Joseon. These two works significantly influenced the formation of Joseon’s discourse on friendship, whereas Ricci’s on Friendship introduced new stimuli by translating Western discussions on friendship into the East Asian context. Focusing on key concepts such as reverence (敬), righteousness (義), admonishing goodness (責善), guiding toward the good (善道), virtue (德), and benevolence (仁) that appear in the Myeongsimbogam and the Sohak, this study compares and contrasts them with corresponding passages in the on Friendship. The findings reveal that the traditional discourse on friendship emphasizes a morally grounded, enduring relationship—cultivating virtue through reverence and righteousness and making one’s true nature evident especially in times of hardship. This perspective aligns closely with the values expressed in the on Friendship, thereby highlighting a point of convergence between Eastern and Western friend- ship discourses. Ultimately, this study reaffirms friendship as a universal ethical ideal rooted in human nature.