Greenroom

The Tale of Kongjwi and Patjwi

Anonymous, 1890 · Original title: 콩쥐팥쥐전

Kongjwi loses her mother when she is only a baby, and her father, a retired clerk near Jeonju, marries a widow named Lady Bae. Lady Bae dotes on her own daughter Patjwi and loads every impossible chore onto Kongjwi. Kind and hard-working, Kongjwi weeps in the fields, until help begins to arrive from unexpected places.

Goodness rewarded and wickedness punishedConflict between a stepmother and her stepdaughterHeaven and nature helping the patient and hard-workingA Korean version of the Cinderella story

About this work (Wikipedia) ↗

Public domain: an anonymous classic from around 1890. Everything written here is our own; no modern edition is copied.

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Characters

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  • 콩쥐 Kongjwi A kind, hard-working girl who does every chore her stepmother sets. Main character Appears in part 1
  • 팥쥐 Patjwi Lady Bae's spoiled daughter, who cannot bear to see Kongjwi do well. Main character Appears in part 1
  • 배씨 Lady Bae Kongjwi's stepmother, who favours her own daughter in everything. Main character Appears in part 1
  • 감사 The Governor Main character First appears in part 2. Read up to part 1 to meet them without spoilers.
  • 최만춘 Choe Manchun Kongjwi's father, a retired clerk who remarries after his wife's death. Appears in part 1
  • 검은 소 The Black Cow A mysterious black cow from the sky (in this chat, it can talk). Appears in part 1
  • 두꺼비 The Toad First appears in part 2. Read up to part 1 to meet them without spoilers.
  • 직녀 Jiknyeo, the Weaving Maiden First appears in part 2. Read up to part 1 to meet them without spoilers.
  • 이웃 할머니 The Old Woman Next Door First appears in part 4. Read up to part 3 to meet them without spoilers.

Part by part

Part 1

처음 ~ 검은 소가 밭을 매 주기까지

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Part 2

잔칫날 콩쥐에게 일을 맡기고 ~ 콩쥐가 감사와 혼인하기까지

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Part 3

팥쥐가 콩쥐를 찾아와 ~ 팥쥐가 콩쥐 행세를 하기까지

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Part 4

연못에 핀 연꽃 ~ 끝

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