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Yunnori
Yunnori
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Yunnori
A game of yut with the sticks cast as a do
Korean name
Hangul
윷; 윷놀이
RRyut; yunnori
MRyut; yunnori

Yunnori (Korean윷놀이), also known as yutnori, yut, nyout and yoot, is a traditional board game played in Korea, especially during Korean New Year. The game is also called cheoksa (척사; 擲柶) or sahui (사희; 柶戲).

Origin

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Yunnori finds its roots in Korea's Three Kingdom Period (57 BCE – 668 CE). While its exact origin remains uncertain, evidence of yunnori has been documented in various historical records spanning Korea, China, and Japan. A claim by Korean historian and activist Chae Ho-shin suggests its descent from the Korean Kingdom Gojoseon in 2333 BC, as mentioned in a book by Buddhist monk Ilyeon (Park et al., 2013). Petroglyphs bearing records of yunnori during the Joseon era were discovered in the mountains of the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria. Surprisingly, yut carvings were also found in a Buddhist temple and were most likely designated prayer sites.

Historians draw connections between yunnori and a Chinese chess game called chupu/jeopo from the 1400s to 1860s, highlighting similarities in their four-token systems. Notably, Goryeo-era documents illustrated yut boards and their 29 stations. Yunnori's presence is also depicted in traditional Korean paintings (minhwa).

Cultural and astronomical meanings

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Initially, yunnori originated as a religious ritual embodying yin-yang principles and the 28 asterisms. Aligned with East Asian astronomy, the game's structure reflected the heavens, earth, four seasons, and the length of the day. Yunnori sticks, with flat and round sides, symbolize yin and yang, while the game's leftward direction mirrors the counterclockwise movement of the Big Dipper stars. This symbolic representation signifies sanctity and a departure from mundane daily life. The incorporation of yut in tombstones reinforces its celestial symbolism, expressing wishes to the heavens.

Yunnori involves five key moves – do, gae, geol, yut, and mo – according to Ilyeon's interpretation, representing the five tribes of the Gojoseon era. Geol was possibly the king's tribe, while the others symbolized four livestock animals – cows, dogs, pigs, and horses.[1]

Equipment

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The board (말판; malpan) is normally made of stitched cloth. The modern board is a rectangular shape, but historically there was also a round variation.[2] There are four straight courses and two diagonal ones. Each of the straight courses comes with five stations, the diagonal ones have five stations, too, but one is shared. This brings the number of stations to twenty-nine in total. The board is also known to sometimes be drawn onto the floor.

Instead of dice, yut-sticks are used, similar to those used in the Egyptian board game Senet. There are two kinds of yut-sticks: jangjak yut (장작 윷) and bam yut (밤 윷). Jangjak yut are made of wood. There are four sticks of about 15 cm in length and from 2 cm to 3 cm in diameter. These sticks are split into halves. Chestnut-wood is most commonly used, but birch-wood is also common. These woods are chosen for their weight and the fresh sound they make when playing. Bam yut, on the other hand, are wooden sticks of about 3 cm in length. They have a diameter of about 1 cm, and also are split into halves. The bam yut are played in a small bowl, shaken in the palm, and then released.

There are small tokens (marks) used for the game, called mal (; lit. horse). There are four tokens for each team, although there are no common rules what a token can be made of. The only rule is that the mals of the opponent teams must be clearly distinguishable. Apart from black and white plastic tokens generally found today, common mals are coins, buttons, small pebbles, or even chess beads (both from Western chess and Korean chess). When choosing the mal, some Koreans consider its speed, because the faster a horse runs, the better it is thought to run.

Yut sticks

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Yut sticks (Jang-jak), measuring 17.5 cm
Scoring: The number of points followed by a schematic representation of the sticks, as well as the name of the particular throw

The sticks are cast to determine how far a token can advance. The score is determined by counting the sticks that are over, and those that are up. Each combination has a name. One stick over (flat side up) and three sticks up (round side up) is called "do" (도, pig). Two sticks up and two sticks over is called "gae" (개, dog). One stick up and three sticks over is called "geol" (걸, sheep). All sticks over is called "yut" (윷, cow), whereas all sticks up is called "mo" (모, horse).[3] A "do" is worth one space advancement, a "gae" is worth two space advancement, a "geol" is worth 3 space advancement, "yut" is worth 4 space advancement, and "mo" is worth 5 space advancement. When the sticks come to the result of either "yut" or "mo", the player has another chance of throwing the sticks up again (optional- some people prefer not to play with this rule). If a player gets "yut" or "mo" consecutively, then they must play (throw) again.

Game rules

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The game is played between two partners or two teams who play in turns, sometimes it is played with more teams. There is no limit in the number of participants in a game, which means that the game can be played by a considerable group. When played with large groups it is not uncommon for some group members never to cast the sticks: they still participate by discussing the strategy.

The start of the game is determined by each team casting the yut-sticks. The team with the highest score starts first. Each team then casts the sticks in turn, then moves a mal according to the score achieved. One turn usually consists of only one cast. However, a player achieving a yut or mo earns an extra cast for the turn; if the player casts a yut or mo at the second cast, they earn an extra cast again, so there is no limit to the number of times a player can cast again before the end of a turn, provided they keep casting yuts or mos. The respective scores can be played separately if wished, each given to another mal (or group of mals, see below), but a score earned from one cast cannot be split into two moves—for example, a geol (advance three steps) cannot be split into a do (one step) and a gae (two steps).

The four possible courses of the game of Yut

As long as there are mals outside the board, a team can either put a new mal onto the board according to the scores it got, or move a mal already on the board. The mals travel around the board and can move forward only. However, when landing on one of the big stations (in the corner and the centre), the team can choose to take the shorter way should they wish to. There are four possible courses, the default course being longest one with no abbreviation (No. 4).

If a mal lands on a station occupied by the opponent's team, the opponent's mal is removed from the course and returned to the starting position, and the current player is allowed to cast again.

If a mal lands on a station occupied by the own team, these mals can form a group and travel together from that point on.  However, this bears a risk: If an opponent lands their mal on a station occupied by a group of mals of the opponent, all mals in the group are removed from the course.

For example, if one casts two yuts and one do at their first turn in the game, possible moves would include (see The Stations below for the station names):

  • Put a mal on the board at the yut station (uses the first yut score); advance to mo (uses the do score), then to sok-yut (uses the second yut).
  • Put a mal on the board at the yut station (uses first yut score); put another mal on the board at the same yut station (uses the second yut score), causing the two mals to move together from then on; advance them to mo (uses the do).
  • Put a mal on the board at the yut station (uses the first yut); advance to duet-geol (uses the second yut), then to duet-yut (uses the do).

The game is won by the team who brings all their mals home first, that is complete the course with all their mals. A course is completed if a mal passes the station where the game is started (cham-meoki). Landing on cham-meoki is no finish, but any score going "beyond" this station completes a home run. Yut is often played for three or more wins.

Special rules

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The game is sometimes enhanced by labeling one, two, or three of the yut stick on their flat side. The Seoul rule can be played if one of the sticks is labelled Seoul (서울). If this stick is the only one facing down (do so that the letters Seoul can be read), a mal can be placed directly into the centre (bang), which in this case is called Seoul. If all the mals are already on the course, this counts as a do. The Busan rule is similar. One of the yut sticks is labelled Busan (부산). Rather than to the centre, the mal travels directly to the far corner (mo). Again, this only applies if this is the only stick facing down, and not all mals are on the course already.

There is also the back rule, where one of the sticks is labelled back (후퇴). If this is the only stick facing down, one of the mals has to go back one step. Depending on the rules used, if none of the mals are on the course, then this is counted as either a do or a skipped turn. Alternatively, if the do rule is not being used, the other most common rule is for a mal to be placed onto the arrow next to the start. The mal remains there until another back is cast. In this case, however, the mal completes the course at once. Furthermore, if a mal is placed on the do spot, and then gets a back, then they will be on the cham-meoki spot and then will exit the malpan when a do, gae or geul, yut or mo is thrown. Another back will put them on the nal-yut spot.

Social influence

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Given its rich history and symbolism, Yunnori has evolved into a popular traditional game among Korean families and friends, particularly during Seollal and Jeongwol Daeboreum – the first and fifteenth days of the new Lunar Year. Beyond entertainment, Yunnori serves as a means of predicting the future through pyeon yut and yut jeom. Pyeon yut forecasts agricultural abundance when played in groups, while yut jeom focuses on individual fortune-telling. Traditional beliefs associated with Yunnori extend to agricultural predictions, as documented in the Records of Seasonal Festivities around the Capital (Yeolyangsesigi) playing Yunnori past the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar would not ensure a fruitful year ("Seasonal Customs and Traditional Recreation," 2020).

The Australian film and theatre group, Yut Art, takes its names from the game as a result of the excitement and crowd participation associated with its activities.

The stations

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Yut board (mal-pan) with the different stations

Each station of the gameboard has its own name, although they are obscure to most Koreans. It is thought that the outer stations symbolize heaven, and the inner square, the earth. The whole board can be also interpreted as a reflection of universal symmetry and celestial procession, reflecting elements of Korean shamanism.[4]

The mid-Joseon writer Gim Munpyo described the Yut board as symbolising the circle of the cosmos, with the North Star in the centre, surrounded by 28 constellations.[5]

Fortune-telling

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According to the Dongguksesigi (literally meaning a Book on Eastern Country's Annual Observances), a book listing 22 Korean annual observances, on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, there was a game of fortune-telling good and bad with a hand-thrown out of yut.[6] The possible combinations of yut are do, gae, geol, yut, and mo, but yut and mo hit the same thing.[7] As a result, there are 64 fortune tellings in total, and in each case, matters to be careful about behavior and the answer for the year's luck are set.[7]

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Yunnori, also known as yutnori or 윷놀이, is a traditional Korean played by two individuals or teams, in which participants throw four wooden sticks—known as yut—to determine the movement of their pieces along a cross-shaped board featuring 29 stations. The game combines elements of and , as the outcome of each throw dictates advances of one to five steps, with special rules allowing pieces to capture opponents' tokens and restart their journey. With roots tracing back to the late and documented during the period (57 BCE–668 CE), yunnori has been recorded in ancient Chinese records as jeopo and in Japanese texts like the Manyoshu, evolving from a form of into a popular folk pastime. Historically, yunnori gained widespread popularity during the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), where it served not only as entertainment but also as a communal activity fostering family bonds and social interaction, particularly on holidays like Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Jeongwol Daeboreum (the first full moon of the lunar year). Archaeological evidence, including petroglyphs at 85 sites depicting the game, suggests its ritualistic roots tied to astronomical observations, symbolizing the 28 lunar mansions and the pole star, as well as broader concepts of yin-yang balance and seasonal cycles. In 2022, the Cultural Heritage Administration of South Korea designated yunnori as National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 156, recognizing its enduring role in preserving Korean cultural traditions amid modernization. The gameplay unfolds on a board resembling a or cross, with pieces—often represented as horses or simple tokens—navigating four interconnected courses that culminate in a central safe zone. Each yut stick, made from halved wooden dowels, lands on either a rounded or flat side, yielding five possible outcomes: do (one stick flat, move 1), gae (two flat, move 2), geol (three flat, move 3), yut (all rounded, move 4 with an extra turn), and mo (all flat, move 5 with an extra turn). The first player or team to advance all four pieces to the finish wins, though capturing an opponent's piece by landing on it sends it back to the start, adding tension and tactical depth. Today, yunnori continues to be played in homes, schools, and festivals, promoting intergenerational play and cultural education while adapting to modern contexts like digital versions and international exhibitions.

History and Origins

Ancient Roots

The earliest known references to games resembling Yunnori appear during the period (57 BCE–668 CE), when the Korean peninsula was divided among , Baekje, and . A Chinese historical document records that people in the Baekje kingdom played a game called jeopo (known as chupu in Chinese), a distinct game sometimes confused with early forms of yut stick-throwing, though differing in board size and mechanics from yunnori. It is also mentioned in 8th-century Japanese texts like the Manyoshu in connection with Silla. This suggests Yunnori-like practices were established among indigenous Korean populations by at least the 4th century CE, predating significant Chinese cultural impositions on the peninsula. Yunnori, also known as nyout, traces its roots to the era and was played across social strata from nobles to commoners, reflecting its deep integration into early Korean society. These games are viewed as native developments, with no direct derivation from Chinese influences until later periods, emphasizing their role in pre-unification Korean traditions. Archaeological evidence supports Yunnori's antiquity, with 281 petroglyphs depicting Yut boards discovered at 85 sites across the Korean Peninsula and , dating from the late (approximately 1500–300 BCE, or 2,500–3,300 years ago) through the late era. These carvings, often found in ritual contexts, indicate the game's initial use as a tool for harvest and agricultural forecasting, where stick throws mimicked natural cycles to predict bountiful yields. In territories, a stone-piled tomb in (modern-day ) features a carved representation of a Yut board, while nearby tombs contain murals of the 28 asterisms, linking the game's symbolic layout to ancient cosmological beliefs.

Historical Evolution

During the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392), historical documents reference yut boards featuring 29 stations, indicating the game's presence during this period. This period marked a shift from earlier stick-based games of the era toward more structured play, fostering its widespread adoption across social classes. In the Dynasty (1392–1910), the game experienced further refinements, including formalized board designs that emphasized its symbolic layout, and scholars documented it extensively in historical records, highlighting its cultural significance. Yunnori's mechanics, requiring strategic decision-making and patience amid chance elements, aligned with Confucian ideals of moral cultivation and self-discipline, often serving an educational role in family and community settings. However, its association with fell under broader anti-gambling edicts during the era. The game's prominence waned during the Japanese occupation (1910–1945), amid broader suppression of traditional Korean cultural elements to undermine and promote assimilation. Post-Korean War (1950–1953), Yunnori revived as part of broader efforts to reclaim and preserve Korean heritage, symbolizing cultural resilience and becoming a staple in family gatherings and festivals to reinforce communal bonds amid national reconstruction.

Cultural and Symbolic Importance

Astronomical and Seasonal Associations

Yunnori's board design reflects traditional Korean cosmology, portraying the universe as a where the outer circle symbolizes heaven and the central cross divides the earthly realm. The central station represents the , a fixed point in the central to East Asian and astronomy, while the 28 surrounding stations correspond to the 28 asterisms (lunar mansions) outlined in ancient Chinese and Korean stellar catalogs, such as those in the Shiji and Korean adaptations. These elements integrate the game's layout with observations of stellar movements, including petroglyph depictions of the Big Dipper's seven stars orbiting the pole star counterclockwise, emphasizing cosmic harmony and cyclical motion. The game's structure also encodes seasonal transitions through its four distinct paths, each aligned with variations in daylight: the longest path signifies with extended days, the shortest the with diminished light, and the two intermediate paths the vernal and autumnal equinoxes marking balanced day and night. Four yut sticks are used per team to evoke the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—mirroring the annual cycle in the East Asian . This seasonal symbolism ties Yunnori to agricultural rhythms and cosmic order. At its core, Yunnori embodies yin-yang duality, with each yut stick's flat side representing yin (earthly, passive forces) and the rounded side yang (heavenly, active forces), outcomes of throws balancing these opposites to propel pieces forward. This philosophical framework, rooted in astronomical observations, positions the game as a microcosm of universal balance, where human play echoes celestial and seasonal patterns.

Social and Ritual Roles

Yunnori serves as a key activity during , Korea's traditional harvest festival, where families play the game after conducting ancestral rites known as charye to honor deceased relatives and express gratitude for the bountiful harvest. This practice reinforces familial bonds. Beyond entertainment, Yunnori has historically functioned in ritual contexts through methods such as pyeon yut, performed in groups to forecast community-wide abundance, and yut jeom, used for individual predictions on matters like health, marriage, or personal fate. These applications stem from ancient beliefs in the sticks' ability to reveal divine will, teaching players to accept outcomes as part of life's unpredictability while promoting cooperation among participants. In community settings, Yunnori fosters social harmony by encouraging intergenerational and group play, often during festivals, which historically provided opportunities for collective reflection and unity under lunar influences. Its reliance on chance equalizes participants regardless of skill or status, enhancing communal ties and cultural transmission.

Components and Preparation

Yut Sticks

The yut sticks, known as yut or jang-jak in Korean, form the core throwable component of Yunnori, consisting of four identical pieces used to determine player movement. Traditionally crafted from wood, these sticks are made by splitting wooden dowels lengthwise, resulting in each stick having one flat side and one rounded side. The sticks are typically plain but may be inscribed or painted with symbolic markings in some versions, though the essential design relies on the binary flat/round orientation for outcomes. In preparation, the four sticks are held together and tossed upward into the air by a player, allowing them to land naturally on a soft surface such as a or ground to prevent bouncing and ensure clear results. This throwing technique emphasizes fairness, with the sticks falling to reveal either the flat or rounded side up for each one, creating a across the four pieces. The height and motion mimic a gentle cast rather than a forceful throw, promoting even distribution of outcomes. The scoring is based on the number of sticks landing with the flat side facing up: 0 (all rounded up) = mo (5 steps, extra turn); 1 = do (1 step); 2 = gae (2 steps); 3 = geol (3 steps); 4 = yut (4 steps, extra turn). This system produces 16 possible combinations but recognizes only these five distinct results, with mo and yut carrying special weight due to their rarity and higher value. The binary nature ensures probabilistic fairness, akin to but rooted in natural wood dynamics. Historically, yut stick designs have varied in materials and form to adapt to availability and regional practices, with alternatives including beans, small stones, or go beads tossed in place of wood for similar binary outcomes. Ancient documentation from the Administration notes detailed specifications for stick appearance in historical texts, emphasizing to maintain game integrity, though specific weighting or end modifications for balance are not explicitly recorded in primary sources. These variations reflect the game's evolution from rudimentary natural objects to standardized wooden forms over centuries.

Board Layout and Stations

The Yunnori board, known as mal-pan, is traditionally constructed from cloth or in a rectangular shape approximately 1 to 2 meters square, featuring a cross-like layout with four straight tracks running parallel to the edges and two diagonal tracks connecting the corners, all converging at a central heaven station. This design creates a looped path for , accommodating multiple players simultaneously. The central station symbolizes the in traditional East Asian astronomy, while the surrounding stations align with the 28 asterisms, infusing the board with cosmological significance. The board consists of 29 distinct stations, numbered sequentially to guide piece movement along the shared loop: starting points are positioned at each corner (stations 1, 11, 16, and 26 for the respective teams), with the main path progressing through core stations, branching into diagonal shortcuts, and culminating in the central (station 21) before returning to the home at the original start after completing the circuit. Safe havens are designated at specific intervals, such as stations 5, 10, 15, and , providing temporary protection for pieces. The layout's positional ensures balanced access to the loop for all players, with the diagonal courses offering alternative routes to the center. Special stations enhance strategic depth: certain positions, such as corners and , function as bridges permitting pieces to take shortcuts along shorter paths for faster advancement. Some safe areas allow a piece to remain for an extra turn, rewarding precise positioning. Team-specific safe zones, marked at key intersections such as the havens and , shield pieces from opponent interference, influencing decisions on risk versus protection in crowded sections of the board. For multi-player setup, the board supports four teams, each represented by a distinct color—typically , , , and black—with four pieces per team placed at their designated corner starting stations prior to the first throw. This arrangement facilitates simultaneous progress around the shared loop, promoting both and coordination among teams.

Gameplay Mechanics

Core Rules

Yunnori is typically played by two to four players or teams, with each controlling four pieces known as mal. The objective is to be the first to bring all four pieces home by navigating them around the board's circuit and reaching the final station. The game is played on a cross-shaped board consisting of 29 stations, reflecting traditional Korean cosmology with outer paths symbolizing and inner ones . Players alternate turns, with each turn beginning with a throw of four wooden yut sticks to determine movement. The sticks land with either the flat or rounded side up, and the number of flat sides up produces one of five main outcomes: do (1 flat, move 1), gae (2 flat, move 2), geol (3 flat, move 3), yut (4 flat, move 4 with an extra turn), or mo (all rounded, move 5 with an extra turn). In some variants, a backdo outcome allows a 1-step backward move. A player may choose which piece to move based on the result, advancing it the corresponding number of stations counterclockwise along the board's arms. A throw allows the player to either enter a new piece at the starting station or advance an existing piece. Pieces follow the outer path until reaching the home stretch, then enter the inner square toward the central heaven station to finish. Safe stations exist where pieces cannot be captured, but most allow basic interactions. Basic interactions occur when a piece lands on an opponent's piece at a non-safe station, capturing it and sending the opponent's piece back to the start, where it must re-enter with a forward throw; capturing also grants an extra turn. Multiple pieces from the same team may occupy the same station for protection, but capturing rules apply only to opponents.

Advanced and Special Rules

In Yutnori, throwing a mo—when all four yut sticks land with their rounded sides facing up—grants the player an extra turn in addition to advancing a piece five spaces, effectively allowing double movement opportunities within a single round by combining the advance with the subsequent throw. This bonus can chain if the player throws another mo or yut on the extra turn, enabling multiple consecutive actions that accelerate progress. The board's layout incorporates station-specific bonuses that introduce . The large corner stations allow players to choose shortcuts on the next move. The home stretch, or final approach to the (the starting point after completing the circuit), in some variants requires an exact throw to finish; overshooting may send the piece back several spaces, often to the previous station, adding tension to endgame maneuvers. In team play, which typically involves two teams of two players each alternating turns, allies can protect pieces by stacking them on shared paths, creating blockades that prevent opponents from advancing or capturing isolated pieces. This dynamic fosters coordination, as teams strategically position stacks to control bottlenecks and shield vulnerable mal from removal.

Variations and Modern Adaptations

Traditional Variations

Yutnori exhibits regional and historical variations that modify its setup and rules to suit local traditions, materials, and social practices, while maintaining the core mechanic of stick-throwing to advance . One prominent regional variant is Geongung Yutnori, prevalent in certain areas of Korea, where the game is played without a physical board. Instead, players use only to track movement, simplifying the setup for communal or outdoor gatherings and emphasizing verbal agreement on positions rather than a fixed layout. In the southern , variations incorporate alternative yut sticks known as bam yut, crafted from chestnuts, which were especially popular for their availability and distinct tossing dynamics. This adaptation facilitated quicker games during festivals, aligning with the region's emphasis on communal events. Gender-specific adaptations also emerged in courtly contexts, with women's versions featuring smaller, more portable sets made with refined materials like panels.

Contemporary Uses

Following its post-1960s revival amid efforts to preserve traditional practices, Yunnori was formally designated as a national in 2022 by the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, highlighting its role in family and communal bonding during holidays like . This recognition has integrated the game into school curricula and educational initiatives, where it is used to teach and to elementary students through software-enhanced activities. Digital adaptations have proliferated since the , transforming Yunnori into accessible online formats. Mobile applications such as Yut Nori Online support real-time multiplayer modes for solo, team, or competitive play, while apps like 윷놀이AR overlay virtual game elements onto real-world environments to simulate traditional stick throws. Yunnori's global reach has expanded through Korean cultural diplomacy, with demonstrations at international events hosted by overseas cultural centers and tied to festivals like KCON, introducing the game to diverse audiences beyond Korea. In modern therapeutic applications, Yunnori supports by promoting cognitive engagement and social interaction. The game's collaborative mechanics lend themselves to team-building activities, encouraging strategic cooperation among participants.

References

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