Kŭnsarok 近思錄 [Reflections on Things at Hand]

Edited by Ye Cai 葉采. 14 juan in four vols. Small folio, orig. semi-stiff wrappers, old stitching. [Chosŏn Korea: ca. 1668-1724].


Kŭnsarok is one of the most influential Neo-Confucian compendiums, compiled by the Song dynasty scholars Zhu Xi (1130–1200) and Lü Zuqian (1137–81). The work distills passages from foundational texts into a series of hypothetical dialogues, with questions regarding the pursuit of everyday scholarship and Northern Song masters answering them. We find no copy of this edition in WorldCat.


Zhu Xi, whose interpretation of Neo-Confucianism shaped early modern East Asian thought, wrote one of the three Prefaces, explaining that Kŭnsarok was meant as an introductory text but should be read in its complete form across four volumes — each of which he specifically titled. Our edition retains not only these volume titles and order but also two other original Prefaces by Lü Zuqian and later commentator Ye Cai 葉采. Kŭnsarok was later annotated in 1252 by Ye Cai, who added a full commentary and organized it into 622 articles divided in 14 juan (sub-titled Kŭnsarok jiphae 近思錄集解). The original text and this commentary comprised the first edition imported into Korea.


Kŭnsarok was introduced to Korea during the late Koryŏ period (918–1392), where it became one of the earliest Neo-Confucian printed texts, likely as a facsimile of the original Chinese woodblock edition (Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, online). Its Koryŏ-era printing is now listed as a national treasure in South Korea, and a 16th-century metal movable-type edition is registered as a municipal treasure of Seoul (Doosan Encyclopedia).


Kŭnsarok was highly valued by later Confucian scholars and the Chosŏn royal court. The scholar Kwŏn Byŏl (權橃, 1478–1548), a prominent official during King Jungjong’s reign (r. 1506–44), owned and annotated a copy for lectures at the royal court. King Yeongjo (r. 1724–76) personally summoned Kwŏn’s descendant to the palace to provide a hand-transcribed copy of the text. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Kŭnsarok was a staple text for scholars-in-training, many of whom hand-copied it as part of their education.


Very good set, with some mostly marginal worming and staining in all four volumes, becoming somewhat more pronounced in the final volume.