yangban

See also: yàngbǎn

English

Etymology

From Korean 양반(兩班) (yangban).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈjaŋban/

Noun

yangban (plural yangbans or yangban)

1. (historical) A member of the ruling class of male Confucian intellectuals in Korea at and before the time of the Korean Empire.
   • 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 900:

     One yangban, Yi Sŭng-hun, provided a new answer to this crisis of authority: while in Beijing serving as a diplomat, he was baptized a Catholic Christian and went home to propagate his faith.