Seonbi

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Seonbi

18th-century seonbi writing together.

Korean name

Hangul	선비
Revised Romanization	Seonbi
McCune-Reischauer	Sŏnbi

Seonbi were male Confucian scholars of the Joseon Dynasty. The term typically denoted either someone who was preparing for the gwageo examination, or someone who had already passed it.

The wandering seonbi is a common figure in Korean depictions of the Joseon period. For instance, a seonbi appears as one of the characters in the Hahoe mask dance, where he competes with a yangban character (although the majority of seonbi were in fact of yangban status).

Today, public intellectuals in South Korea sometimes argue for a return to the "seonbi spirit."