Seongho Yi Ik: The New Compilation of the Four Beginnings and Seven Emotions

Seongho Yi Ik: The New Compilation of the Four Beginnings and Seven Emotions is the first complete English translation of Sachil sinpyeon, a seminal work by the eighteenth-century Korean philosopher Seongho Yi Ik (1681–1763). This influential text offers a rich reinterpretation of the longstanding Four-Seven Debate—the philosophical discourse on the relationship between moral emotions (the Four Beginnings) and personal emotions (the Seven Emotions). Comprising a preface, sixteen main essays, and six supplementary essays, Seongho's New Compilation presents clear definitions, compelling arguments, conceptual innovations, vivid analogies, and original diagrams that illuminate the intricacies of Confucian moral psychology. This work offers enduring insights into the nature of human emotions and practical guidance for moral cultivation. In addition to a carefully annotated translation, this volume includes a comprehensive introduction and interpretive essay that clarify his typology of emotions and his reimagining of core Confucian concepts. Designed to support both specialist and general readers, it fills a crucial gap in English-language scholarship on Korean Confucianism and serves as an ideal gateway to Seongho's broader philosophical thought. With its interdisciplinary significance, this work will appeal to scholars of East Asian philosophy, moral psychology, virtue ethics, and comparative philosophy. Anyone interested in the ethics of emotion and the cultivation of moral character will find in this volume a powerful account of emotional life—one that resonates across cultures and centuries with the moral challenges we continue to face today.