The reign name is the name of the emperors of the past dynasties, and it is also a symbol of the times. "Era" is also called Jianyuan, which is the beginning of the recorded year. Before the Western Han Dynasty, no matter how long an emperor lasted, he would neither change his Yuan Dynasty nor his reign title. It is more convenient to date by king's name than by year's name. At that time, those who succeeded to the throne would only use the king's title to mark the year, and did not establish an era name, such as the first year of King Hui of Zhou Dynasty. However, with the development of history, the feudal emperors gradually changed the way of chronology out of political needs. In the history of our country, the official change to the Yuan Dynasty began with Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The formal establishment of the "reign title" as a system was passed down after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty came to the throne in 140 BC. After the implementation of the reign title, every new emperor who ascended the throne had to rebuild the "reign title", which was called Gaiyuan, and lasted until the "Xuantong" in the late Qing Dynasty. After the Revolution of 1911, the years of the Republic of China and Yuan Shikai's "Hongxian" still left traces of the era name.
For the convenience of naming, most of the era names set by various dynasties in our country are named after two characters, such as Jian in the early Han Dynasty, Yonghe in the Jin Dynasty, Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty, Jia in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, etc. But there are also a few with three, four or even six characters. The three-character era name started from Wang Mang's "Foundation of the Kingdom" in 9 AD. Later there were "Zhong Datong" and "Zhong Datong". There are many four-character era names, such as "Taiping Zhenjun" by Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, "Long Live Tianchi" and "Long Live Tongtian" adopted by Wu Zetian after becoming emperor in the Tang Dynasty, and "Dazhong Xiangfu" by Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. wait. There are also six-character year names, such as "God-given rituals Yan Zuo" of Xixia Jingzong, Huizong's "God-given rituals prosperous National Day", etc.
The reign names of feudal emperors were very particular about the wording. They always had to go through repeated screening to select auspicious words, which often started with the words "Da, Tai, Ying, Yuan, Tian, ??Zhong, Yong" and so on. Therefore, there are inevitable duplications in the adoption of era names in the past dynasties. For example, "Jianwu" was used as the era name for 7 years; "Jianxing" was used for 11 years; and "Taiping" was used for 9 years. In addition, "Zhongxing", "Yonghe", "Yongping", "Yongxing", "Jianhe" and "Jianping" were used by 6 emperors respectively. Investigating the reasons, some of the reasons were that the emperor and ministers lacked historical knowledge, and some of them deliberately pursued and imitated the previous dynasty, which resulted in the duplication of reign names.
Let’s look at the temple name first
It is the name given to the ancient Chinese emperors after their death when they were enshrined in the Taimiao Temple. It is generally believed that the temple name originated from the Shang Dynasty. For example, Taijia was Taizong. , Taiwu was Zhongzong, Wuding was Gaozong (Chengtang might be Taizu). The temple names were very strict at first. According to the standard of "the ancestors have merit and the clan has virtues", the founding monarch is generally the ancestor and successor monarch who have the ability to govern the country. The Zhou Dynasty established the posthumous title system and gave final evaluations to the life deeds of monarchs and ministers. The temple number system was abolished. In the Qin Dynasty, even the posthumous title system was abolished.
The Han Dynasty inherited the system of temple names. The Han Dynasty was extremely cautious about adding temple names, and many emperors did not have temple names because of this. Liu Bang was the founding monarch, his temple name was Taizu (but since Sima Qian, he was called Gaozu, and later generations used it more often), and his posthumous title was Emperor Gao (there is no "gao" in the posthumous law, so he was regarded as the Taizu of the Han Dynasty because of his highest merit). Specially named). The Han Dynasty emphasized governing the world with filial piety, so the posthumous titles of successive emperors all had the word "filial piety". All emperors of the Han Dynasty had posthumous titles, but very few had temple titles. In the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bang was Emperor Taizu Gao (Emperor Xiaohui Liu Ying took the temple name), Liu Heng was Emperor Taizong Xiaowen (Emperor Xiaojing Liu Qi took the temple title), Liu Che was Emperor Shizong Xiaowu (Emperor Xiaoxuan Liu Xun took the temple title), and Liu Xun was Emperor Zhongzong Xiaoxuan (the temple name of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu); Liu Xiu of the Eastern Han Dynasty was Emperor Guangwu (the temple name of Emperor Xiaoming Liu Zhuang), Liu Zhuang was the Xianzong Emperor Xiaoming (the temple name of Emperor Xiaozhang Liu Jin), and Liu Jin was the emperor Suzong Xiao Emperor Zhang (the temple name of Emperor Xiaohe Liu Zhao). There were several other emperors in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The four emperors Xiaohe, Xiaoan, Xiaoshun and Xiaohuan had temple names, but they were canceled when Emperor Xiaoxian was named.
In the Tang Dynasty, except for some fallen kings and short-lived emperors, they generally had temple names.
The word "ancestor" or "ancestor" is commonly used in temple names. The founding emperor is generally called "Taizu" or "Gaozu", such as Han Taizu, Tang Gaozu, Song Taizu; subsequent emperors are generally called "Zong", such as Tang Taizong, Song Taizong, etc.
But there are exceptions. The proliferation of "ancestors" began in Cao Wei. By the time of the Sixteen Kingdoms, the names of the emperors and temples of small countries such as Later Zhao, Former Yan, Later Qin, and Western Qin were almost all called their ancestors.
When addressing someone, the temple name is often placed before the posthumous title, and together with the posthumous title, they form the full title of the deceased emperor. Customarily, before the Tang Dynasty, deceased emperors were generally given posthumous titles, such as Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, instead of temple names. After the Tang Dynasty, due to the lengthening of the characters in the posthumous title, it was renamed the temple title, such as Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, etc.
Generally speaking, the character selection of temple names does not refer to the posthumous method, but characters with beautiful meanings are usually chosen, such as Tai, Shi, Gao, Shen, Sheng, Ren, Rui, Ming, Zhang, etc. wait. Starting from the Tang Dynasty, the temple name of the founding emperor of the dynasty was usually "Taizu", and the temple name of the second generation emperor was often "Taizong". If the dynasty's imperial line changes, its temple name will be "Shizu" or "Shijong". But this is neither the rule nor the rule. The following is a brief excerpt of the emperors with the temple names of Tai and Shi in Chinese history:
Taizong of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, Liu Heng, the founding emperor, great ancestor Liu Bangshu, five sons, the fifth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty
Taizong of the Jin Dynasty Emperor Jianwen Sima Yu, the founding emperor Zhongzong Sima Rui, the youngest son, the eighth emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty
The third son of Taizong Wu of the Cheng Han Dynasty, Li Xiong, the third son of Yizhou Mu Lite, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty
Qianliang Taizong Cheng Wang Zhang Mao Founding King Gaozu Zhang Shidi Di Qianliang Second Generation King
Pre-Qin Taizong Gao Emperor Fu Deng Shizu Fu Jian Family Grandson, Fu Changzi Sixth Generation Emperor Former Qin
Song Taizong Ming Emperor Liu Yu, founding emperor, great ancestor Liu Yusun, Taizu Liu Yilong’s eleventh son, sixth generation emperor of Song Dynasty
Liang Taizong Jianwen Emperor Xiao Gang, founding emperor Gaozu Xiao Yan’s third son, second generation emperor of Liang
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Taizong of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Emperor Tuoba Si of Mingyuan, the founding emperor of the country, Taizu Tuoba Tuo, the eldest son, the second emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty
Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the civil and military sage, Daguangxiao Emperor, Li Shimin, the founding emperor of the country, the second son of Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan, Tang Dynasty The second generation emperor
The most benevolent Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, the saintly virtue, the great virtue, the great Ming Dynasty Guangxiao Emperor Zhao Guangyi, the founding emperor Zhao Kuangyin's younger brother, the second son of Zhao Hongyin The second generation emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty
Taizong Xiao of the Liao Dynasty Emperor Wu Huiwen, Yelu Deguang, the founding emperor, Taizu Yelu Abaoji’s second son, the second emperor of Liao Dynasty
Jin Taizong’s Tiyuan came to the world at the right time, his virtues were Zhao Gongzhe’s, Huiren’s, Sheng Wenlie’s, Emperor Wanyan Wu’s begging for money (End Yan Sheng) Founding Emperor Taizu Wanyan Aguda's younger brother, Wanyan impeached Liben's fourth son Jin the second generation emperor
Ming Taizong Titian Hongdao Gaoming Guangyun Shengwu Shengong Chunren to Xiaowen Emperor Zhu Di founded the country Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, fourth son, third generation emperor of the Ming Dynasty
Qing Emperor Taizong Yingtian rejuvenated the country Hongde Zhuangwu Kuan Wenrenren Shengrui filial piety Minzhao Dinglong Daoxiangongwen Emperor Aixinjueluo Emperor Taiji Founding Emperor Aixin The eighth son of Jueluo Nurhaci, the second emperor of the Qing Dynasty
Look at the posthumous title:
After the death of people with a certain status such as emperors, princes, ministers, etc. in ancient China, according to their Life stories and moral cultivation are evaluated for praise and criticism, and a title that contains good-faith evaluation and has a judgmental nature is given. Research on bronze inscriptions from the Western Zhou Dynasty shows that as late as around King Mu of the Zhou Dynasty, the practice of giving posthumous names to deceased persons with higher status or status was already common. In ancient times, in addition to the "posthumous title" for emperors, the "posthumous title" for ministers, scholars and celebrities was also a respectful title; some people's posthumous titles almost became their aliases because they were often called by future generations, such as Yue Wu Mu (Yue Fei), Tao Jingjie (Tao Yuanming), etc.
The power of granting posthumous titles is highly concentrated in the hands of the emperor and depends on the "holy ruling". According to statistics, from the Western Han Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, 10,473 people from clans and officials received posthumous titles in the past dynasties, while in the Ming Dynasty, there were 5,935 people, accounting for about 57% of the total. The emperor's posthumous title is usually announced by the ceremonial officials after approval by the succeeding emperor, while the posthumous title of the ministers is given by the court.
Types:
When the posthumous title law first came into being, there were only "beautiful posthumous titles" and "near posthumous titles", but no "evil posthumous titles".
The "posthumous titles" of good and evil originate from the Western Zhou Dynasty and afterward, and there are also "private posthumous titles". The posthumous name is selected according to the posthumous law. The posthumous law stipulates some words with fixed meanings for selection when determining the posthumous name. These words are roughly divided into the following categories:
Shangshi, which is a posthumous title of praise, such as: "文", which means having the talent of "the world" or "morality", "diligence in learning" "The moral character; "Kang" means "pacifying and appeasing the people"; "Ping" means "setting the rules and governing disciplines".
The posthumous title is a critical posthumous title, such as: "Yang" means "good at home and far away from courtesy", "Li" means "arrogant and unkind", "killing innocents", "Huang" means " "Having fun and neglecting government", "following chaos both internally and externally", etc.
The "evil posthumous title" of "Xia Ji": King Zhou Li was a greedy king, and the "countrymen" launched a riot. He fled to Zhi (now northeast of Huo County, Shanxi Province) and died there. "Li ” is the “evil posthumous title” used to reprimand him.
Middle posthumous titles are mostly sympathetic ones, such as: "捍" means "suffering from worries in the country" or "difficulty in the country"; "huai" means "the kindness is short-lived".
Private posthumous titles are posthumous titles agreed upon by relatives, disciples and former officials after the death of famous scholars and scholar-bureaucrats. "Private posthumous titles" began at the weekend and became popular in the Han Dynasty.
Emblem title
Rules:
In the pre-Qin period, it was common for posthumous titles to use one character, but two or three characters were also used. Those who use one character are like: Qin Mugong, Jin Wengong; those who use two or three characters are like King Anhuang of Wei, King Xiaocheng of Zhao, etc.
After Qin Shihuang unified China, he agreed to use "Emperor" as the title of the supreme ruler. At the same time, because the determination of the "posthumous title" would create a situation where "sons discuss fathers and ministers discuss emperors," the posthumous law was abolished. . Ying Zheng called himself the First Emperor, and later generations were numbered, such as the second, third, and so on.
The posthumous law was restored during the Han Dynasty, and the posthumous law system became increasingly strict during this period. The posthumous title of "Da Honglu" was formally established in the court to manage the posthumous law of princes and princes. After the Han Dynasty, most of the posthumous titles had two Chinese characters: the full posthumous title of Han Wen Emperor Liu Heng was Emperor Xiaowen, and the posthumous title of Xiao He was Wen Zhonghou.
The Tang and Song Dynasties were the period of development of posthumous titles. On the one hand, the posthumous title method became a tool for feudal emperors to honor their posthumous titles to satisfy their vanity, and at the same time, it also became a means of praise and criticism to control the officials. Wu Zetian set a precedent for emperors to honor four generations of ancestors, breaking the old practice of one or two-character posthumous titles for emperors, and also created a precedent for emperors to superimpose flattery on posthumous titles during their lifetimes. Some emperors can be consecrated several times during their lifetimes. Honorable title. For example, in the twenty-seventh year of Kaiyuan (739 AD), Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was honored as "Emperor Yuan Shengwen Shenwu".
The queen's "title" is the "emblem". For example, Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty honored his biological mother Nala as the "Mother Queen Mother" and her emblem was "Cixi". The emblem can also be accumulated for every celebration. The Nala family's emblem finally accumulated "Cixi Duanyou Kang Yizhao Yuzhuang Chengshou Gongqin Xian Chongxi..." as many as 25 words (see Cixi Article). The posthumous titles of emperors in the Song Dynasty were more beautiful than those in the Tang Dynasty, and they also set the precedent for later generations to give posthumous titles to ministers. It is worth mentioning that Zhao Kuangyin, Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty, emphasized civility and suppressed military power. Therefore, the posthumous titles of ministers in the Song Dynasty were mostly honorable with the word "文". By the end of the Song Dynasty, there were more than 140 people with the posthumous title of "文", and they were called "武". "There are only twenty people.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the content of posthumous titles was basically fixed. The first is to fix the number of posthumous names for personnel at all levels.
The posthumous title of the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was 17 characters, with 1 character for prince and 2 characters for minister. For example,
The posthumous title of Chengzu of Ming Dynasty was: Hou Tian Hong Dao Gao Ming Zhao Yun Sheng Wu Shen Gong Chun Ren Zhi Xiao Wen Emperor
Emperor of the Qing Dynasty has 21 characters, Prince Shuo has 1 character, and Minister has 2 characters. For example,
Emperor Kangxi’s posthumous title is: He Tian Hong Yun Wen Wu Rui Zhe Gong Frugal Generous Filial Piety Honesty Emperor Chengren of Great Merit