# Sadaejuui

Sadaejuui (Korean: 사대주의; lit. serving-the-great ideology) is a largely pejorative Korean term which evolved in the mid-20th century from a more widely used historical concept.
The contemporary term sadaejuui was derived from the Chinese shi da (Korean, sadae) as used by the philosopher, Mencius.

## Etymology

The term is a compound phrase. Sadae literally means "dealing with the great" or "serving the great" and can be interpreted as "Loving and admiring the great and powerful". Juui means "ideology" and it is conventionally translated as "-ism."
The term "sadaejuui" was invented by early 20th century Korean nationalists. The antecedents of this modern term is the historic term "sadae" (事大), which comes from the word "以小事大" in Mencius's book, which means "service to the great by the small" or "a small kingdom accommodates a large."
* 梁惠王下
* Mencius - Liang Hui Wang II
   The King Xuan of Qi asked, saying, 'Is there any way to regulate one's maintenance of intercourse with neighboring kingdoms?'
   Mencius replied, 'Yes, there is. But it requires a perfectly virtuous prince to be able, with a great country, to serve a small one - as, for instance, Tang served Ge, and king Wen served the Kun barbarians. And it requires a wise prince to be able, with a small country, to serve a large one - as the king Tai served the Xun Yu, and Gou Jian served Wu. He who with a great State serves a small one, delights in Heaven. He who with a small State serves a large one, stands in awe of Heaven. He who delights in Heaven, will affect with his love and protection the whole kingdom. He who stands in awe of Heaven, will affect with his love and protection his own kingdom. It is said in the Book of Poetry, "I fear the Majesty of Heaven, and will thus preserve its favouring decree." '

## Overview

Sadaejuui conflates an attitude of subservience with the political realism which accompanies the prudent recognition of greater power. Sadae describes a foreign policy characterized by the various ways a weaker nation-state such as Korea acknowledges the strength of a greater power such as China. Sadae is made manifest in the actions of the weaker nation-state as it conveys goodwill and respect through its envoys.
The utility of the sadae concept in Korea was recognized from the period of Three Kingdoms of Korea to 1897; and it is demonstrated in the relationship of mid-Joseon Korea towards the Ming dynasty of China. Joseon made every effort to maintain a friendly relationship with Beijing for reasons having to do with both realpolitik and an idealized Confucian worldview in which China is perceived as the center of a Confucian moral universe.
The kingdom of Joseon accepted its place in a Sinocentristic world order. The Joseon foreign policy was organized around maintaining stable Joseon–Chinese relations in the period from 1392 through 1910. It contrasts with limited trade relationships or kyorin diplomacy (교린정책; 交隣政策; lit. neighborly relations) in regard to Joseon-Japanese relations in this period.
The concept of sadaejuui was central in the writings of polemicist Shin Chaeho. His ideas and voice became prominent features of Korean nationalism. Sin is known for having argued that the sadaejuui inherent in Confucian historiography served
* to devalue the ethnic origins of the Korean people and state
* to subjugate Korean history within a Confucian interpretive framework
His revisionist writings sought to deny the relevance of sadae as an important element of Korean history.