(Imagined palace during the Shang Dynasty) When nations were first established long ago, the Shang and Zhou Dynasties were essentially city-states. While there was a king who ruled the world (*Cheonha*), the area he directly governed was just the city and its immediate surroundings. The rest was ruled by vassals. The king built a small city with walls and erected the palace he lived in—that is the character *Guk* (國, nation/state).
During this era, the word 'national' (*Gukmin*) only referred to the commoners residing inside the city walls. If you lived outside the walls, you were called a barbarian or 'savage' (*yain*). Even though these were small states, the king was considered the Son of Heaven (*Cheonja*), a representative of the heavens, so he couldn't just sleep on the street or eat anywhere. There were specific rules and decorum for arranging the king's living space and its surroundings. Gotta look cool, you know?
(Example of palace arrangement during the Qing Dynasty. All dynasties followed the ceremonial rules established during the Zhou era, called *Jurye*.) The innermost part of the king's residence was called *Yuk-gung*, where the queen and concubines lived and where the king rested. The king's private quarters are called *Naejo* (Inner Court) and *Yeonjo*. A wall was built around the *Naejo*, and since the king's sleeping chamber (*Chimjeon*) was important, watchtowers (*Mangru*) were erected to prevent unauthorized entry. These watchtowers are called *Gweol* (闕). *Gung* (宮, the king's chamber) + *Gweol* (闕, the watchtower protecting the king’s chamber) gives us the commonly used word, *Gung-gweol* (Palace/Compound). The building and space where the king met his officials is called *Chijo* (The Court). The space where officials went outside to handle their assigned duties was called *Oejo* (Outer Court).
(Reconstructed Shang Palace Building) In the early city-state period, the *Chijo* was made this way, with Jongmyo (Royal Ancestral Shrine) and Sajik (Altars of Earth and Grain) placed in spaces on the left and right, and a large stone path running through the center. After passing through a gate made of just a few pillars, you’d reach the *Oejo*, the space where officials conducted state affairs. Even the *Oejo* wasn't anything special back then. They planted three pagoda trees on the left side so the Three Chief State Councilors (*Samjeongseung*) could rest in the shade, and nine prickly ash trees on the right for the Nine Ministers (*Gugyeong*) to rest in the shade. Since they managed the affairs of the small state under the shade of trees, later the three pagoda trees (*Samgwae*) marked the *Samjeongseung*'s positions, and the nine prickly ash trees (*Gugeuk*) marked the positions of the high officials. This concept of spatial arrangement gradually became formalized etiquette and served as the foundation for palace architecture and the installation of national institutions for thousands of years throughout East Asian history, only differing in building size and arrangement numbers.
This carried on into the Joseon era, which adopted Neo-Confucianism as its state ideology. The division between *Naejo* and *Chijo* within Gyeongbokgung followed this standard, and pagoda trees were always planted in front of the palace. It also influenced the layout of the entire capital (Hanyang), including institutions like Jongmyo, Sajikdan, and Gwanghwamun street.
All capitals in East Asia followed this, making it the standard for urban planning and palace architecture. The reason why Gwanghwamun Square stands in front of Gyeongbokgung in Joseon's Hanyang, with the Sajikdan to the west and Jongmyo to the east of the Six Ministries (*Yukjo Gwana*), is all according to the ancient ceremonial rules established in the *Jurye*.
(Shang Dynasty palace and court in front) How was the nation governed in those days? A wide courtyard was always created in front of the *Chijo* building where the king handled state affairs. The king would stand in the largest building in the center of this courtyard, and the officials would gather below. Since the Son of Heaven conducting state affairs was seen as transmitting the will of Heaven, everyone gathered in the morning as the sun rose to receive the energy of Heaven, express their formalities, and begin work. This was called the *Jojeong* (朝廷, The Court). This is what you hear referred to in historical dramas as 'something happened in the court (*Jojeong*)'.
(Joseon Dynasty palace and the courtyard in front) Just as we understand a policy mentioned on the news as originating from 'The Blue House' (Cheongwadae) to mean the current ruling administration, the term referring to a physical space broadened in scope to signify the government itself. Wait, the title was about titles like *Pyeha* and *Jeonha*! Why is this tangent so long? Don't worry, here comes the story.
(Steps and stepping stones (*Pye*, 陛) in front of the palace main hall) When the king spoke with officials gathered in the courtyard, he couldn't just stand face-to-face with them—he's the king, after all. To look down from the building and enhance the Son of Heaven’s authority, the space was sectioned off again. The building where the king handled affairs was elevated with stairs, and beautiful stone slabs were used for decoration in front of them, enhancing the king's dignity architecturally. The stone steps you see in the picture are called *Pye* (陛). Yes, that is the 'Pye' in *Pyeha* (陛下, Below the Steps). According to *Jurye*, when the king was in the building handling state affairs, officials guarding the king *must* stand at the bottom of these steps—that was the royal etiquette.
Because of this structure, when officials gathered in the court wanted to speak to the king, they couldn't just shout, 'Hey, dude! Come here!' and talk directly. As dictated by etiquette, they would first call the person standing below the stepping stones (*Pye*) and say, 'There is such and such a matter, please report it to the king.' That official would then relay the message. So it became like this: 'Your Majesty (*Pyeha*)~' (calling the official standing below the steps) 'There is such and such a matter.' Originally, *Pyeha* was literally used to call the official standing beneath the steps to ask him to relay a message. What if you had to talk directly to the king without an official present? Once established, the law is fixed and immutable etiquette. You could never talk directly to the king, and the set etiquette could never be omitted. Thus, even if you spoke directly, you did so assuming there was a virtual official relaying the message, starting with, '*Pyeha*~ blah blah blah.' After repeating this rigmarole for hundreds of years, the phrase *Pyeha* ceased to be a term for calling the official beneath the steps and gradually transitioned into a second-person pronoun, used instead as a term of address for the king. This etiquette established during the Zhou Dynasty became a term specifically referring to the king during the Warring States period, and by the Qin Dynasty, it became the second-person term for addressing the Emperor. A record appears in the *Annals of Qin Shi Huang* using this second-person address: 'Now, Your Majesty (*Pyeha*) has raised a righteous army, executed the remaining enemies, and unified the world.' We believe the usage of the title 'Pyeha' we still use today was completely established during this period. For reference, this explanation of the word *Pyeha* wasn't defined by modern historians. It was explained and documented by the Han scholar Cai Yong. Even during the Three Kingdoms period, people wondered: 'Wait, why do we call the Emperor *Pyeha*?' Cai Yong, a contemporary scholar, clarified its origins. This means that *Pyeha* was already a perfect second-person address during the Han Dynasty. What about the title *Jeonha* (殿下, Below the Hall)? It also became a second-person address through a similar process as *Pyeha*. However, there is a slight difference in usage. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, both *Pyeha* and *Jeonha* were used interchangeably to refer to the King.
(Geunjeongjeon, Gyeongbokgung, 殿) In East Asian architecture, *Jeon* (殿) is the term used to denote the most important building. The *Jeon* in the title *Jeonha* refers to the *Jeon* of the palace (*Gungjeon*). It is a name only given to crucial buildings like the main hall (*Jeongjeon*), where the king handles state affairs, or the sleeping quarters of the king or queen. Therefore, originally, *Pyeha* and *Jeonha* meant the same thing. This changed during the Han Dynasty as the distinction between Emperor and King became clear, and the etiquette terms were also refined. They began to use *Pyeha* exclusively for the special building that had the *Pye* (陛)—the steps symbolizing the Son of Heaven’s dignity—differentiating it from other major halls. That is, as the status hierarchy became more detailed during the Han Dynasty, the term *Pyeha* was reserved only for the Emperor, while Crown Princes, Princes, Empresses, Queens, and other important figures were referred to using *Jeonha*.
Since the Emperor was distinguished from other imperial relatives, officials and common people also had to be distinguished. The building type *Jeon* (殿) denotes importance, so temples sometimes have a *Jeon*, like *Daeungjeon* (Main Hall). The building where the Chancellor (*Seungsang*), the state minister, worked was also named *Jeon*, so in the beginning, the Chancellor was also addressed as *Jeonha*. However, this was also categorized further, and after the Han Dynasty, the term *Jeonha* was restricted to royalty, no longer referring to the *Jeon* of every building. By now, we understand that *Pyeha, Jeonha, Jeoha, Hapha, Gakha*, and so on are all titles related to 'buildings and spaces.' For example, in Joseon historical dramas, there is the term *Jeoha* (邸下, Below the Residence) used to refer to the Crown Prince (*Seja*).
(Cheoljong of Joseon's temporary residence in Ganghwado, *Jamjeo*) The character *Jeop* (邸, residence) refers not to a common house but to a noble residence where a person of high status quietly stays. We call a nice house a *Jeotaek* (residence). It's that *Jeop* character. Therefore, when someone who was not originally the heir apparent ascends to the throne—through a coup or sudden succession—their former private residence is called *Jamjeo* (潛邸, hidden residence). *Jeoha* was originally used to address royal relatives and nobles with titles lower than duke. In the case of Joseon, since they called the King *Jeonha* (as they were a King, not Emperor), the Crown Prince, being the King's son, was addressed as *Jeoha*, a step down from *Jeonha*. The *Daewongun* (Regent) was called *Hapha* (閤下). During the Goryeo military regime, the leader of the Choe military government was also called *Hapha*. *Hapha* is a term used to respectfully address a high official of the first rank. The building referred to by *Hap* (閤) here is...
(Gonnnyeonghap, Geoncheonggung, Gyeongbokgung, 閤) *Hap* (閤) refers to an annex attached next to a *Jeon*, an important palace building. Since it’s a building attached to a palace where only imperial-level figures can reside, it is inherently a high-class and noble structure. Addressing someone by this term signifies that their status is extremely respected. Furthermore, the term *Hapha* means the owner of the *Hap* building right next to the King's *Jeon* building, implying they are a crucial figure who can influence the King from close proximity. In Korea, the term *Gakha* (閣下, Below the Pavilion) was officially used for the President for a time. *Gakha* also uniformly originates from a building.
"The ancient building hierarchy lives on, even influencing modern diplomatic titles (Pope, Cardinals). But the real fun is learning that the super-humble address 'Below the Foot' eventually just turned into the word for 'nephew' (*Joka*)! History is wild."
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