Pattern Meanings
This page lists all the colour belt patterns, the number of moves and their meanings.
| Belt | Kup | Pattern | Moves | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Stripe | 9th |
Chon-ji | 19 | Chon-Ji literally means 'the heaven and the earth'. It is in the Orient, interpreted as the creation of the world or the beginning of human history. It is therefore the initial pattern played by the beginner. The pattern consists of two similar parts - one to represent heaven and the other the earth. |
| Yellow | 8th | Dan-gun | 21 | Dan-Gun is named after the Holy Dan-Gun, the legendary founder of Korea in the Year 2333 B.C. |
| Green Stripe | 7th | Do-San | 24 | Do-San is the pseudonym of the patriot Ahn Ch'ang-Ho (1876 - 1938), who devoted his life to furthering the education of Korea and its independent movement. |
| Green | 6th | Won-Hyo | 28 | Won-Hyo was the noted Monk who introduced Buddhism to the Silla Dynasty in the year 686 A.D. |
| Blue Stripe | 5th | Yul-Gok | 38 | Yul-Gok is the pseudonym of the great philosopher and scholar Yi I (1536 - 1584 AD) nicknamed the "Confucius of Korea". The movements of this pattern refer to his birthplace on the 38th degree latitude and the diagram represents "scholar". |
| Blue | 4th | Joong Gun | 32 | Joong-Gun is named after the patriot An Joong-Gun who assassinated Hiro Bumi Ito, the first Japanese governor-general of Korea, known as the man who played the leading part in the Korea-Japan merger. There are 32 movements in this pattern to represent Mr An's age when he was executed in Lui-Shung prison in 1910 |
| Red Stripe | 3rd | Toi-Gye | 37 | Toi-Gye is the pen name of the noted scholar Yi Hwang (16th Century A.D.), an authority on neo-Confucianism. The 37 movements of this pattern refer to his birthplace on the 37th degree latitude and the diagram represents scholar. |
| Red | 2nd | Hwa-Rang | 29 | Hwa-Rang means 'flowering youth' and is named after the Hwa-Rang youth group which originated in the Silla Dynasty around 600 AD. This group eventually became the actual driving force for the unification of the three kingdoms of Korea. The 29 movements refer to the 29th Infantry Division, where Tae Kwon-do developed into maturity. |
| Black Stripe | 1st | Choong-Moo | 30 | CHOONG-MOO was the name given to the great Admiral Yi Soon-Sin of the Yi Dynasty. He was reputed to have invented the first armoured battleship (Kobukson) in 1592, which is said to be the precursor of the present day submarine. The reason why this pattern ends with a left hand attack is to symbolize his regrettable death, having no chance to show his unrestrained potentiality checked by the forced reservation of his loyalty to the king. |
| Black Belt | 1st Dan | Kwang-Gae | 39 | KWANG-GAE is named after the famous Kwang-Gae-Toh-Wang, the 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. The 39 movements refer to the first two figures of 391 A. D., the year he came to the throne |
| Ge-Baek | 44 | GE-BAEK is named after Ge-Baek, a great general in the Baek Je Dynasty (660 AD). The diagram represents his severe and strict military discipline | ||
| Po-Eun | 36 | 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 known 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 |
