Once, a stranger from distant countries, on his way to Seoul, stopped in Pyongyang and met on the street an old man of enormous stature, with a lush beard reaching to his waist. He did not look like a Confucian scholar, but he looked unusual.
The stranger thought that the country of beautiful oriental customs was inhabited by truly extraordinary people. The stranger wanted to check whether the old man knew the teachings of Confucius and Mencius. But he doesn’t know how to do it. After all, he couldn’t speak Korean. He thought and thought and decided to communicate with the old man using gestures. To begin with, I made a circle with my index finger. In response, the old man drew a square with his finger. The stranger, very pleased, smiled, showed the old man three fingers, and the old man bent five fingers in response. Then the stranger lifted the hem of his clothes, and the old man pointed his finger at his mouth.
The stranger nodded his head and smiled again.
In Seoul, a stranger said to a dignitary who came out to meet him:
“I have heard many times that your country is famous for its good customs. And now I understand that these are not simple words.
The dignitary was surprised and asked:
“Why, most honorable sir, do you offer such praise to Korea?”
The stranger replied:
“On the way here, I met an unusual-looking old man in Pyongyang, I thought that he was honest and noble, and I decided to test him. He drew a circle in the air with his finger, wanting to say that the sky was round, but he also drew a square with his finger
- this means that the earth has four sides. Then I showed him three fingers, meaning the three principles of Samgang, and he raised five fingers, meaning the five principles of Oryun. Finally, I raised the hem, which meant that in the old days, although they wore long dresses, they ruled the country well, but he pointed to his mouth, wanting to explain that when a country declines, one must be wise in speech. Since a random passer-by has such a mind, what can we say about noble and educated people?
[Samgan - loyalty to the sovereign, sons' respect, wife's loyalty to her husband.]
[Oryun - loyalty to the sovereign, sons' respect, wife's loyalty to her husband, respect and love for elders, respect and love for friends.]
The dignitary reported the old man to the king. The king thought that a mere mortal would not cause the delight of a high-ranking stranger - this was probably a “hidden talent.”
And he also thought: “Only in a country ruled by such a wise king can such smart people live as this old man, who knows a lot about the teachings of Confucius and Mencius.” And the king ordered to immediately call the elder to him.
The old man came to Seoul and was very surprised when he was given money as a reward.
One dignitary asked the old man:
“Tell me, old man, why did you draw a square with your finger when the stranger drew a circle?”
“I thought he liked round rice cakes, delphen, but I prefer square indelmi.”
- Why did you show five fingers when he showed three? - the dignitary asked again.
“I realized that the guest eats three times a day, but I want to eat five times.”
- Why did you point your finger at your mouth when the guest lifted his hem?
“He probably wanted to say that what worries him most is clothes, but I only care about food,” so he pointed to his mouth.
The courtiers burst out laughing, but immediately fell silent, and their faces took on a serious expression, as if they were deciding an important state matter.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru