Sadae facts for kids

Sadae is a Korean word used to describe a special kind of relationship between countries. It's often talked about when looking at the history between Imperial China and Korea, especially during the Joseon period.

Think of Sadae as a way for a smaller country to show respect and goodwill to a much larger, more powerful country. It's like saying, "We recognize your strength and importance." This was often shown through things like sending special representatives (called envoys) to the bigger country.

The term Sadae also helps explain how Korea dealt with other nations even before the Joseon kingdom was formed. It was a key part of how they managed their foreign policy, which is a country's plan for how it interacts with other countries.

What Does Sadae Mean?

The word Sadae comes from the Chinese term shi da. It literally means "serving the great" or "dealing with the great." This idea was first used by a famous Chinese thinker named Mencius.

In history, Sadae helped set up a way of thinking where China was seen as the most important country. It was like China was the center of a moral world, and other countries looked up to it.

Sadae in History

During the Joseon period, Korea used Sadae in its dealings with China. This was different from how Korea interacted with other nearby countries, like Japan. With Japan, Korea often had more equal trade relationships.

However, in the 20th century, some Korean people called nationalists started to disagree with the idea of Sadae. They felt it made Korea seem less important and wanted their country to be seen as completely equal to all others.

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