The Problem of the Sadanpujungjŏl 四端不中節 in the Four-Seven Debate

The “Four-Seven Debate” primarily refers to the debate between Yi Hwang and Ki Dae-seung in sixteenth-century Korea. The debate is generally known as an attempt to explain the Four Beginnings and the Seven Feelings in terms of li and ki. However, this essay suggests that it was meant to explain not their origin but the origin of their moral characteristics. With this in mind, the focus here will be on analyzing the relationship between the Four and the Seven and, in particular, on Kobong’s remarks on Sadanpujungjŏl.