Hyung/Forms and Their Meanings

1. Chon-Ji - 19 moves - "Heaven and Earth", the beginning. Hence, the first form you learn when you begin your training.

2. Dan-Gun - 21 moves - Legendary founder of Korea.

3. Do-San - 24 moves - Great Korean patriot and educator, Anh Chang-Ho (1876 - 1938).

4. Won-Hyo - 28 moves - Monk who introduced Buddhism to the Silla dynasty.

5. Yul-Gok - 38 moves - "Confucius of Korea". Yul-Kok was a great philosopher and scholar. The 38 movements of this hyung denotes the 38th degree latitude of his birthplace and the diagram means "scholar".

6. Joong-Gun - 32 moves - Korean patriot who assasinated the 1st Japanese Gov. of Korea. The 32 movements represent the age when An Chung-Gun was killed in prison.

7. Toi-Gye - 37 moves - Scholar and authority on Neo-Confucianism.

8. Hwa-Rang - 29 moves - A youth group who strived for the unification of the three Kingdoms of Korea.

9. Choong-Moo 30 moves - Invented the first armor-plated battleship. The left-hand technique that ends this hyung symbolizes Chung-Mu's death in battle before he could pledge his loyalty to the king.

10. Kwang-Gae - 39 moves - 19th King of the Koguryo Dynasty, who regained all the lost territories including the greater part of Manchuria. The diagram represents the expansion and recovery of lost territory.

11. Po-Eun - 36 moves - PO-EUN is the pseudonym of a loyal subject Chong Mong-Chu (1400) who was a famous poet and whose poem "I would not serve a second master though I might be crucified a hundred times" is know to every Korean. He was also a pioneer in the field of physics. The diagram represents his unerring loyalty to the king and country towards the end of the Koryo Dynasty.

12. Ge-Baek - 44 moves - Great general in the Baek Je Dynasty (660 AD). The diagram represents his severe and strict military discipline.

13. Eui-Am - 45 moves - Leader of the Korean independence movement on March 1, 1919. The 45 movements refer to his age when he changed the name of Dong Hak (Oriental culture) to Chondo Kyo (Heavenly way religion) in 1905. The diagram represents his Indomitable Spirit, displayed while dedicating himself to the prosperity of his nation.

14. Chung-Jang - 52 moves - General who lived during the Lee Dynasty, 14th century. This pattern ends with a left-hand attack to symbolize the tragedy of his death at 27 in prison before he was able to reach full maturity.

15. JUCHE - 45 moves - The philosophical idea that man is the master of everything and his own destiny. It is said that this idea was rooted in Baekdu Mountain which symbolizes the spirit of the Korean people. The diagram represents Baekdu mountain.

16. Sam-IL - 33 moves - Independence movement of Korea which began in 1919. The 33 movements in the pattern stand for the 33 patriots who planned the movement.

17. Yoo-Sin - 68 moves - General during the Silla Dynasty. The 68 movements refer to the last two figures of 668 A.D., the year Korea was united. The ready posture signifies a sword drawn on the right rather than left side, symbolizing Yoo Sin's mistake of following his Kings' orders to fight with foreign forces against his own nation.

18. Choi-Yong - 46 moves - General of the armed forces during the 14th century Koryo Dynasty. Choi Yong was greatly respected for his loyalty, patriotism, and humility. He was executed by his subordinate commanders headed by general Yi Sung Gae, who later became the first King of the Lee Dynasty.

19. Yon-Gae - 49 moves - General. The 49 movements refer to the last two figures of 649 A.D., the year he forced the Tang Dynasty to quit Korea after destroying nearly 300,000 of their troops at Ansi Sung.

20. UL-Ji - 42 moves - Defended Korea against a Tang's invasion force of nearly one million soldiers. The 42 movements represent the author's age when he designed the pattern.

21. Moon-Moo - 61 moves - 30th King of the Silla Dynasty. The 61 movements in this pattern symbolize the last two figures of 661 A.D. when Moon Moo came to the throne.

22. So-San - 72 moves - Monk who organized an army of monk soldiers who fought the Japanese pirates who overran most of the Korean peninsula in 1592.

23. Se-Jong - 24 moves - King who invented the Korean alphabet in 1443, and was also a noted meteorologist. 24 movements refer to the 24 letters of the Korean alphabet.

24. Tong-Il - 56 moves - Denotes the unification of Korea which has been divided since 1945. The diagram symbolizes the homogenous race.