Due to Hyŏngnyŏn Chŏng's non-Korean family name, Hyŏngnyŏn, it is thought that his ancestors were originally nomads, originating from either China or from the Khitans, who later naturalized as Koreans.
[2] Sometime prior to 1075, Hyŏngnyŏn Chŏng passed the civil service examination and held the title of chinsa.
In 1074, after being dissatisfied with an earlier biography on Kyunyŏ written by a scholar named Kang Yu-hyŏn (강유현; 康惟顯), Hyongnyon began work on his own biography on Kyunyŏ.
[2][3] In 1100, Hyongnyon was sent to the Liao court as a Goryeo envoy bearing gifts.
In November 1105, Hyongnyon was appointed as the Superintendent Examiner of the Scholars of Chang-ak Pavilion (장락전학사; 長樂殿學士; changnakchŏn haksa).