[K-Women Talk] Joseon's Female Silhak Scholar Bingheogak Lee

The Joseon Dynasty was a difficult era for talented women to live in. Even if they had outstanding abilities, they were often not taught to study, or if they excelled, they were hidden away and completely suppressed.

However, there are always exceptions in the world, and Bingheogak Lee was exactly such an exception. She was the daughter of Lee Chang-su and Jinju Ryu, and the niece of Lee Sajudang, a distinguished female scholar. Growing up in a scholarly family on her maternal side, she was taught from a young age and was able to read many books and study extensively.

Bingheogak Lee married Seo Yubon at the age of fifteen. The two not only exchanged poetry but also engaged in discussions and studied together.

Seo Yugoo, Seo Yubon's younger brother and Bingheogak Lee's student, recalled the life of his brother and sister-in-law as "red and yellow inkstones mixed among scissors and rulers; she was an excellent wife and a good friend." The couple had a harmonious relationship and bore eleven children. Most died young, with only three surviving. Seo Yubon was also physically weak. He served in office late in life, and after King Jeongjo's death, their family fell into decline.

Bingheogak Lee took on all kinds of work, including cultivating tea fields herself, to support her family. Despite the hardships, she never stopped studying. She would occasionally go to her husband's study to read old books and explore knowledge necessary for daily life as much as she could reach. Although she said she was "only broadening my horizons and passing the time," completing a book was certainly not just a pastime. Her husband supported her studies and writing. He even named the book she wrote, which was the Gyuhapchongseo.

"My wife selected and compiled many books, dividing them into categories. There is nothing in rural household management that is not useful, and it is especially detailed about the nature of plants, birds, and animals. I named that book Gyuhapchongseo."

The Gyuhapchongseo is an encyclopedia for women’s daily life. It organizes methods for making sauces, brewing alcohol, making, dyeing, and embroidering clothes. It also covers farming and raising livestock, prenatal education and child-rearing, and even methods for treating illnesses. It is a practical study, a product of Silhak (practical learning). Even today, this book is considered an indispensable resource for those studying old Korean script and cultural history.

Bingheogak Lee also taught her brother-in-law to study. The young student was none other than the Silhak scholar Seo Yugoo. He inherited and further developed the studies of his family and sister-in-law, eventually creating the Imwon Sipniji.

Seo Yubon passed away in 1822, before his wife. Bingheogak Lee even picked a hundred flowers and brewed Baekhwaju (hundred-flower wine) herself, but fate could not be changed. Having lost her irreplaceable friend and confidant, Bingheogak Lee was so grief-stricken that she wrote a death poem. She passed away at the age of sixty-six, about two years later. Seo Yugoo left writings expressing his longing for his sister-in-law. Although most women in Joseon likely lived in pain and neglect, there is a small consolation in the figure of Bingheogak Lee.

Writer Lee Han

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.