📖 Origin of the Hanja
Korean Hyun descends from Hyun Damyun (玄覃胤), a Yuan Chinese naturalizer during King Chungnyeol's reign of Goryeo. Ancestral seat: Yeonju (modern Yongbyeon, North Pyongan). The hanja "玄" is the third character of the Thousand Character Classic: 天地玄黃 (Heaven dark, Earth yellow). Laozi's Tao Te Ching 1.1 calls "玄之又玄" — "dark and again dark" — the gate of all mysteries. The deepest character in Eastern philosophy.
🏯 Main Clans (Bongwan)
※ Bongwan refers to the ancestral home where the founder settled. Same surname, different bongwan = different clan branch.
🌟 Famous Figures
""玄" is not blackness but depth — the opening of the Thousand Character Classic and the dwelling of Laozi's Tao. The essence that holds all light."
Share with a friend
Share the meaning behind a shared surname
