The Thousand-Character Classic

This a primer of Chinese characters that was published in woodblock print in 1960. The primer of Chinese characters was made by Zhou Xingsi during the period of the North and South Dynasties. This was produced based on the writing of the primer of Chinese Characters written by Seokbong Han Ho (1543-1605), a calligrapher of the Joseon Dynasty during the period of King Seonjo. He became a government official in 1583 upon the King’s order. This primer was published internally within the government in 1601, but was supplemented and printed again as a woodblock type in 1650. Under each characteristic, the explanation of the meanings are provided in Korean under each Chinese character, so it is an important material in studying Korean during the 16th and 17th centuries.