# Nogeoldae

The Nogeoldae ('Old Cathayan') is a textbook of colloquial northern Chinese published in Korea in several editions from the 14th to 18th centuries. The book is an important source on both Late Middle Korean and the history of Mandarin Chinese. Later editions were translated into Manchu and Mongolian.

## Contents

The word Qǐdà (Korean Geoldae; Old Mandarin Khita) of the title, like the term Cathay, is a transcription of the Mongolian form of Khitan, a people who ruled northern China as the Liao dynasty (907–1125). It became a common name throughout Asia for China and all things Chinese. Here it means 'Chinese'. The word lǎo (老, Korean no, literally 'old') had been used as a prefix indicating familiarity (as in modern Standard Chinese) since at least the Tang period.
The book mainly consists of dialogs centered on a journey of a Korean merchant to Beijing, and the Chinese travelers who join him on the way. It opens with the following lines:
| 大哥你從那裏來 | "Elder brother, where do you come from?" |
| 我從高麗王京來 | "I come from Wangjing in Korea." |
| 如今那裏去 | "Where are you going presently?" |
| 我往北京去 | "I am going to Beijing." |
After arriving in Beijing, they sell Korean commodities and purchase goods to sell back in Korea. The book concludes with the Korean merchant's departure from Beijing.
The book focuses on language used in travel, business, banquets, and medicine. It also contains unique insights into life in Beijing, including the first instance of the word hutong (alley).
Later editions are accompanied by Korean-language annotation (諺解 eonhae) interleaved with the text. Below each Chinese character are written two transcriptions in Hangul: a "left reading" taken from the "popular readings" in Shin Suk-ju's 1455 dictionary, and a "right reading" reflecting contemporary pronunciation. Each Chinese sentence is followed by a colloquial Korean translation, also written in Hangul.
The text below is from eonhae edition
| Chinese | Transcription (colloquial) | IPA | Transcription (official) | IPA | Korean |
| 老乞大諺解上 | ᄅᅶ키다연계샹 | lao kʰi ta jən kje̞ ʂaŋ | 라ᇢ키ᇹ따연계ᄿᅣᇰ | ɭaw kʰiʔ ta jən kje̞ ʂaŋ | - |
| 大哥你從那裏來 | 다거니충나리레 | da kə ni tsʰuŋ na li le̞ | 따거니쭝나리래 | ta kə ni tsuŋ na li lɛ | ○큰형아네어드러로셔브터온다 |
| 我從高麗王京來 | 오충ᄀᅶ리왕깅레 | o̞ tsʰuŋ kao li waŋ kiŋ le̞ | ᅌᅥ쭝가ᇢ리왕깅래 | ŋə tsuŋ kaw li waŋ kiŋ lɛ | ○내高麗王京으로셔브터오롸 |
| 如今那裏去 | ᅀᅲ긴나리큐 | ʐu kin na li kʰju | ᅀᅲ긴나리큐 | ʑu kin na li kçju | ○이제어드러가ᄂᆞᆫ다 |
| 我往北京去 | 오왕버깅큐 | o̞ waŋ pə kiŋ kʰju | ᅌᅥ왕비ᇹ깅큐 | ŋə waŋ biʔ kiŋ kçju | ○내北京으로향ᄒᆞ야가노라 |
| 你幾時離了王京 | 니기스리ᄅᅸ왕깅 | ni ki sɨ li ljao waŋ kiŋ | 니기쓰ᇫ리랴ᇢ왕깅 | ni ki sz̩ li ljaw waŋ kiŋ | ○네언제王京의셔ᄠᅥ난다 |
| 我這月初一日離了王京 | 오져ᄋᆑ추이ᅀᅵ리ᄅᅸ왕깅 | o̞ tʂjə jyə tʂʰu i ʐi li ljao waŋ kiŋ | ᅌᅥ져ᅌᆑᇹ추ᅙᅵᇹᅀᅵᇹ리랴ᇢ왕깅 | ŋə tʂjə ŋjyəʔ tʂʰu iʔ ʑiʔ li ljaw waŋ kiŋ | ○내이ᄃᆞᆯ초ᄒᆞᄅᆞᆫ날王京셔ᄠᅥ난노라 |
| 旣是這月初一日離了王京 | 기스져ᄋᆑ추이ᅀᅵ리ᄅᅸ왕깅 | ki sɨ tʂjə jyə tʂʰu i ʐi li ljao waŋ kiŋ | 기쓰ᇫ져ᅌᆑᇹ추ᅙᅵᇹᅀᅵᇹ리랴ᇢ왕깅 | ki sz̩ tʂjə ŋjyəʔ tʂʰu iʔ ʑiʔ li ljaw waŋ kiŋ | ○이믜이ᄃᆞᆯ초ᄒᆞᄅᆞᆫ날王京의서ᄠᅥ나시면 |
| 到今半個月 | ᄃᅶ긴번거ᄋᆑ | tao kin pən kə jyə | 다ᇢ긴번거ᅌᆑᇹ | taw kin pən kə ŋjyəʔ | ○이제반ᄃᆞᆯ에다ᄃᆞ라ᄭᅥᄃᆞᆫ |

## Editions

Five editions of the book exist, as it was revised over the centuries to follow changes in the northern Chinese vernacular and the Korean language.
The original Chinese edition seems have been written around the middle of the 14th century. The Nogeoldae and a similar text, Bak Tongsa ("Pak the interpreter"), were very popular, and are mentioned in Korean records of 1426 as required texts for government translators. An early 15th century copy discovered in Daegu in 1998 is believed to be close to the original version. It includes valuable information on the colloquial Old Mandarin of the Yuan dynasty, called "Han'er speech" (漢兒言語) in this book.
In 1480, the royal instructor ordered revisions of both textbooks to match the very different Middle Mandarin of the Ming dynasty. A Korean scholar, Choe Sejin, wrote a guidebook based on this edition in 1507–17. This edition is now conventionally called the Beonyeok Nogeoldae (飜譯老乞大 "New Translation of the 'Old Cathayan'") to distinguish it from the original. The Korean versions of the dialogs are written in a colloquial style, giving unique insight into Late Middle Korean.
A third edition, the Nogeoldae eonhae, was published in 1670 by the Bureau of Interpreters. It has the same Chinese text as the Beonyeok Nogeoldae, but the right readings and translations were updated to contemporary Korean.
During the Qing dynasty, the Chinese text was revised again as the Nogeoldae Sinseok (老乞大新釋 "New edition of the 'Old Cathayan'"), which was published in 1761. The revision is attributed to one Byeon Hon, who went to Beijing in 1760 with the official delegation. Among the revisions are changing the Chinese name of Korea from Gāolí (高麗; Korean Goryeo) to Cháoxiǎn (朝鮮; Korean Joseon). A corresponding revised commentary, the Nogeoldae sinseok eonhae, was published in 1763 but is no longer extant.
The Junggan Nogeoldae (重刊老乞大 "Reprinted 'Old Cathayan'") appeared in 1795, with a corresponding commentary Junggan Nogeoldae eonhae. Its Chinese text is less colloquial than the earlier versions.

## Translations

Translations of the Nogeoldae into other languages were also published by the Bureau of Interpreters. The Cheong-eo Nogeoldae (淸語老乞大 "Manchu 'Old Cathayan'") includes Manchu text along with Hangul pronunciation and Korean translations. It was written by Choe Hutaek (崔厚澤) and others and published in 1704 and revised in 1765. I Choedae (李最大) made a Mongolian edition called the Mong-eo Nogeoldae (蒙語老乞大 "Mongolian 'Old Cathayan'") that was published in 1741 and revised in 1766 and 1790. A textbook list included in an edict of 1669 mentions a Japanese translation, but it is no longer extant.