[KS] 5th 14th 23rd

[King, Ross]

Dear Werner: 

This looks like Hong Sŏngmo's [홍석모] _Tongguk sesigi_.

It won't answer any of your questions, but it might interest you to know that James Scarth Gale translated a big chunk of this. His unpublished manuscript translation can be found in Diary 23 (pp. 8-30; this bit on p. 28) of his papers at the Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto. This particular passage he rendered as follows (I have changed the Gale romanization to McCune-Reischauer, as any self-respecting researcher should   ;) ): 

"THE SAM-P'AE-IL (Three Days of Defeats)
They are the 5th the 14th and 23rd. They are called the three days of defeat. If there
is any special thing to be done wherever luck is involved it is not undertaken, as a journey
or a feast, etc. From the days of Koryŏ these three days were said to be the days
on which the King worked and so the people did not begin anything on this day
and so it finally became an unlucky day. It was not originally an unlucky day."

Ross

Ross King
Professor of Korean and Head of Department
Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia
Asian Centre, 1871 West Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
vox: 604-822-2835
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In a translation I am working at there is a paragraph which bothers me, but I cannot come up with solutions. Any help will be appreciated...


初五十四 二十三日稱三敗日 The 5th, 14th, and 23rd days are called the “Three Ruining Days”.

每月忌百事 不敢動作 不宜出行 Every Month people are afraid to do anything, any work or leaving the house.

盖自麗俗以此三日卽君上所用之日故臣民不容爲忌日云本非敗日也  It is said that since Koryŏ customarily the king took these three days and therefore ministers and all people incorrectly made them into taboo days. Originally they were not “Ruining Days”


Questions I have:


1) 5-14-23 with the difference of 9 makes me think of the Nine Influencers 九曜 (skr. Nahagraha, often translated as “planets” or “luminaries”). Does it have to do with birthday or any other important event? With mercury (number 5 in numerology) and its influence? Or with jupiter mok-chiksŏng 木直星, the 5th of the 九曜?

2) which Koryŏ king (or, since it is a hanmun text, Koguryŏ "king")?

3) And who is behind the "It is said..."?


Translations, secondary literature, and three days wasted in the internet did not help me. Of course, I could just not bother and translate the text as it is, but I would just like to find some background to these enigmatic statements. It would be nice for me and probably for any serious reader of the translation...


Looking forward

Werner