Relics Description

Malmoi means ‘collecting Korean language.’ This is a manuscript prepared for a Korean dictionary titled Malmoi prior to its publication. The Association for the Glorious Literature of Joseon led by Ju Si-gyeong (1876~1914) and his followers including Kim Du-bong (1889~1960), Yi Gyu-yeong (1890~1920), and Gwon Deok-gyu (1890~1950) began to compile the dictionary around 1911. The manuscript for the dictionary was completed in 1916, but the dictionary could not be published for several reasons including the death of Ju Si-gyeong and the exile of Kim Du-bong to Shanghai in 1919. The Malmoi Manuscript is important material for the study of the history of Korean language and compilation of the Korean language dictionaries in that it shows what Korean letter writing, vocabulary, and Korean grammar were like more than one hundred years ago.