一般現代韓語裡,多以「儒教」作為「儒學」(Confucianism)的同意詞。然而本文探討《朝鮮王朝實錄》的用詞發現兩個現象。其一,《實錄》中有十七個國王實錄完全未曾出現「儒教」一詞,「儒教」出現的高峰集中在正祖朝及高宗朝,且大多出現在針對「西學」的討論中。其二,觀察《實錄》中的詞彙使用傾向,正祖時期偏好「儒學」、「西學」等以「學」結尾的詞彙,高宗時代偏好「儒教」、「西教」等以「教」結尾的詞彙。《實錄》中「儒學」到「儒教」的用語轉變,顯示「儒教」一詞在韓國思想史上,並非純粹約定俗成的慣用詞語,而有相對於「儒學」的演化意義。緊扣上述觀察,本文分析在西方思想的衝擊下,正祖朝和高宗朝兩時期的韓儒對儒家學說詮釋的變化。正祖時期面對西學,洪大容關注科學技術,丁若鏞關注於宗教成分,此時相對於西方思想,朝鮮本身以「儒學」自居;到高宗時期,朝鮮社會崇尚西方近代化國家以「宗教 Religion」凝聚國家共識,朴殷植和張志淵從民族主義的立場上,試圖進行朝鮮儒學的「國教化」,期能以儒家學說保有朝鮮主體性,同時獲得西方宗教的「宗教」功能。
In the modern Korean language, the word Ru Jiao (儒教) is often regarded as the synonym of Ru Xue (儒學), Confucianism. However while doing research on the terminology in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (朝鮮王朝實錄) we discover two key points. First, the word Ru Jiao is absent in the records of seventeen rulers. But in the Annals of both the Period of King Jung-Jo (正祖朝) and the period of King Ko-Jong (高宗朝), this vocabulary been mentioned frequently, and often appears in discussion of western study, Xi Xue (西學), Second, to analyze the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, we found the words end with Xue (學) are more common used in King Jung-Jo period. But the preference convert to the words end with Jiao in Ko-Jong period. It suggests Ru Jiao is not only an accepted convention through common practice. The change of terminology reveal an evolution of Confucianism history. The study is about how the interpretation of Confucianism evolved within these two periods. At Jung-Jo period, to confront the influence of Xi Xue (西學), Jeong Yak-yong (丁若鏞) is focus on science and Hong Dae-yong (洪大容) discuss more of religion. in opposition to Xi Xue (西學), Joseon Confucians positioned themselves as Ru Xue (儒學). Later, during the period of King Ko- Jong, Joseon fashioned the way western powers formed nationalism through the use of religion. Park Eun-sik (朴殷植) and Chang Chi-yeon (張志淵) tried forge the Confucianism as the national religion, and keep the autonomy of the Joseon school of Confucian thought, with gaining the religious power of the western style religions.