The term is used as a descriptive label for bilateral foreign relations between Imperial China and Joseon dynasty Korea.
[3] Sadae describes a foreign policy characterized by the various ways a small country acknowledges the strength of a greater power like that of China.
[5] The Joseon Dynasty made every effort to maintain a friendly relationship with Beijing for reasons having to do with realpolitik and with an idealized Confucian worldview.
[7] The historical term is derived from the Chinese shì dà (事大; Korean sadae) as used by the philosopher Mencius.
'The neutral term is distinguished from the pejorative sadaejuui, which was invented by early 20th century Korean nationalists.
serving-the-great ideology) is a largely pejorative Korean term which evolved in the mid-20th century from the more widely used historical concept fo sadae.
[10] Sadaejuui conflates an attitude of subservience with the political realism which accompanies the prudent recognition of greater power.
[1] The concept of sadae was rejected in the writings of polemicist Shin Chaeho and other Korean nationalists in the 20th century.