The most humane record of Dasan Jeong Yak-yong
As a father and intellectual, Dasan's teachings passed down to future generations
Reading the depths of Jeong Yak-yong's personality through 82 letters

『Letters from Exile』, a collection of letters by Jeong Yak-yong, a master of Silhak (practical learning) in the late Joseon Dynasty and beloved as an immortal intellectual, is now available to readers in a new edition of 'Dasan's Wisdom' along with 『Jeongseon Mokminsimseo』.
Because he wrote extensively in numerous fields, including law, literature, geography, medicine, and biology, his achievements are classified as a separate discipline called Dasanhak.
This edition of Dasan's Wisdom brings together some of his most famous works and his most personal records, giving them a fresh look and containing Dasan's teachings on how to govern ourselves both internally and externally.
If 『Mokminsimseo』 contains guidelines that local magistrates, or Mokmin-gwan, must follow, and makes us ponder the attitude of public officials who play political, social, and administrative roles, 『Letters from Exile』 contains the words that an intellectual and father left for future generations.
The two books, each edited by the Dasan Research Association, which has long devoted itself to Dasan and established Silhak and Dasan Studies, and translated by Park Seok-mu, a distinguished professor at Dankook University and an authority on Dasan studies, are filled with proverbs that transcend time and still enlighten us.
Especially, it is a classic book of life that can be kept by one's side and pondered for a long time by all those who wish to wisely navigate these turbulent times, both as leaders and as individuals.

Dasan's letters are new every time I read them.
There is much to be learned from Dasan's example: the way he constantly encouraged his sons, who were extremely unfortunate due to the decline of his family, to continue to study without being discouraged; the way he considered his older brother Jeong Yak-jeon, who was exiled on the remote island of Heuksando, as his lifelong confidant and engaged in deep and wide-ranging academic discussions; and the way he taught his students all kinds of wisdom while deeply worrying about their futures.
It is not easy to find out the inner thoughts of the human being in the books he wrote to be revealed to the world, but his private letters to his son, older brother, and disciples clearly reveal his deep inner thoughts.
This book will serve as a guide to Dasan's scholarship and thought for those studying Dasan studies as well as for the general public interested in Dasan.
---From "Introduction"

Remember that telling a single lie is the greatest sin in the world, and that this is the first step into the study of the Holy Spirit.

--- p.57

If it does not contain content that is painful for the times and indignant at the world, it is not poetry. If it does not contain the meaning of calling beautiful things beautiful and detesting ugly things, and of encouraging goodness and punishing evil, it is not poetry.

--- p.63

Even so, if you have a little sincerity in your heart, you will be able to make progress no matter how chaotic the situation is.
Don't you have books at home? Are you physically incompetent? Are you lacking in sharp eyes and ears? Why do you want to give up on yourself?
--- p.76

If we carefully examine every single word in a letter and every single word in our daily conversations to ensure that they are not even slightly inconsistent with the truth, we will be following the example of our ancestors.

--- p.97

I've realized something about reading a few years ago: if you just read haphazardly, even if you read a hundred or a thousand times a day, it's no different from not reading at all.
Whenever you come across a word you don't understand while reading, you should examine it extensively and study it in detail to understand its origins and understand the entire text.
If you read books like this every day, it's like reading hundreds of books at once.
Only by reading it this way can you fully grasp the meaning of the book, so keep this in mind.

--- p.105~106

The true taste of alcohol lies in what moistens the lips.
People who drink like water pour it straight down their throats without even wetting their lips or tongue. How could they possibly know what it tastes like? The pleasure of drinking lies in getting slightly drunk. If your face turns red like a carrot, you vomit, and you fall asleep, what pleasure is there in drinking?
--- p.109

Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom can only be realized after they are put into practice through actions and deeds. Feelings of pity and compassion [惻隱], feeling ashamed of wrongdoing, and hating what is not good [羞惡] also come from within.
--- p.124

In serving the king, it is important to be someone who is respected by the king, not someone who is favored by the king.
Also, it is important to be a person who is trusted by the king, not a person who pleases the king.

--- p.157

The wheel of fortune goes round and round, so if you fall once, it doesn't mean you can't get up again.

--- p.174

There is no better way to keep your wealth secret than to give it away to others.
If you give it away, you don't have to worry about it being stolen by thieves, or burned, or the trouble of transporting it by ox or horse.
Also, after one's death, one can leave behind a beautiful name that will last a thousand years.
Could there be such a great gain in the world? The more you hold on to wealth, the more it slips away. Could this be called a catfish?
--- p.180

The thing about a sentence is that it is something that accumulates knowledge within and its style is revealed on the outside.

--- p.346