Did You Know the Korean Flag Features Taoist Symbols?
The Yin-Yang and the Eight Trigrams 🇰🇷
The six nations of East Asia—China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Mongolia, and Taiwan—have shared deeply intertwined relationships, marked by extensive cultural, religious, and linguistic exchanges.
China, as the dominant power in the region, has had the greatest influence on the other five. In South Korea, this influence is evident in its national flag, which is rich in Taoist symbolism, a philosophy and religion of Chinese origin.
But what do these symbols actually mean?
韩国国旗被称为“太极旗”。 众所周知，太极是我国道教文化中一个重要概念和范畴，太极源自无极，是万物化生的过程之一。太极的含义即为天地未开、混沌未分之前的状态，初见于《南华真经》，也就是《庄子》：“大道，在太极之上而不为高；在六极之下而不为深；先天地而不为久；长于上古而不为老”。
太极旗 (tài jí qí): Taegukgi (South Korean national flag)
众所周知 (zhòng suǒ zhōu zhī): as everyone knows; widely known
范畴 (fàn chóu): category; scope
我国 (wǒ guó): our country (used to refer to one's own country, often China in Chinese contexts)
无极 (wú jí): limitless; the state of infinity before taiji
The South Korean flag is called the "Taegeukgi."
As is widely known, taiji (the concept of the "Supreme Ultimate") is a significant idea within Taoist culture. Taiji originates from wuji (the "Limitless") and represents one of the processes of all creation. The concept describes the state before the separation of heaven and earth or the division of chaos. It first appeared in the Daoist classic Nan Hua Zhen Jing (also known as Zhuangzi): "The Great Dao exists above the Supreme Ultimate yet is not considered high; it exists below the Six Ultimates yet is not considered deep; it predates heaven and earth yet is not considered ancient; it has endured since antiquity yet is not considered old."
除了太极旗这个名称外，在韩国国旗中，直接出现了上红下蓝的阴阳两仪太极图，以及同为道教文化代表的另一个重要符号：八卦。 八卦，是道教文化中与“阴阳五行”一样用来推演世界、空间、时间等各类事物关系的工具。
每一卦形代表特定的事物，例如乾代表天，坤代表地，巽（xùn）代表风等等。八卦之外，互相搭配又成六十四卦，用来象征各种自然现象和人事现象。
从古时起，以“八卦”和“阴阳五行”等为代表的道教易学文化，便已渗透到东亚文化的各个领域。
阴阳 (yīn yáng): yin and yang; the dual forces in Taoist philosophy representing opposite but complementary principles
八卦 (bā guà): Eight Trigrams; symbolic diagrams used in Taoism
五行 (wǔ xíng): Five Elements; the five phases (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) in Chinese philosophy
渗透 (shèn tòu): to permeate; to infiltrate; to seep through
Beyond the name "Taegeukgi," the South Korean flag directly features a red-and-blue yin-yang taiji symbol and another critical representation of Taoist culture: the Eight Trigrams.
The Eight Trigrams, like the yin-yang and the Five Elements, are tools within Taoist culture used to interpret relationships in the world, space, time, and various phenomena. Each trigram represents a specific element; for example, qian represents heaven, kun represents earth, and xun represents wind. Beyond the Eight Trigrams, their combinations form 64 hexagrams, symbolizing various natural and human phenomena.
Since ancient times, Taoist culture, represented by concepts such as the Eight Trigrams and the yin-yang and Five Elements theory, has permeated various aspects of East Asian culture.
再回到韩国国旗，其四角的卦像分别是左上方为乾，右下为坤，右上为坎，左下为离，分别可代表天地水火，父母男女之意。
其实，除了国旗外，中韩两国在文化层面还有很多纠缠不清的地方。例如，历史上商纣王的叔父箕子最早在朝鲜半岛建立政权，并为朝鲜半岛带来了当时先进的汉字。
乾 (qián): heaven; symbolizing strength and creativity
坤 (kūn): earth; symbolizing receptivity and nurturing
坎 (kǎn): water; symbolizing danger, depth, and mystery
离 (lí): fire; symbolizing clarity and transformation
纠缠不清 (jiū chán bù qīng): tangled; complicated and unclear
朝鲜半岛 (Cháo xiǎn bàn dǎo): Korean Peninsula
Returning to the South Korean flag, the trigrams in its four corners—qian (upper left), kun (lower right), kan (upper right), and li (lower left)—respectively symbolize heaven, earth, water, and fire, representing parents and male and female.
In fact, beyond the national flag, China and South Korea share many intricate cultural entanglements. For instance, in history, King Zhou of Shang’s uncle, Jizi (Gija), is said to have established the first governance on the Korean Peninsula, introducing advanced Chinese characters to the region.
Interesting, right? Now, do you know which other East Asian country also features a Taoist symbol on its flag? (Hint: They were once the largest empire on Earth.)
Antoine & Dorota
