Wu Zetian's name was Zhao, with the courtesy name Mingkong. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty gave her the name Wu Mei, and after becoming emperor, she was named Wu Fu.
Women in ancient times had names and characters. In the Han Dynasty, men and women were often not distinguished. Names and characters could be used interchangeably. After the Southern and Northern Dynasties, men and women had different names and characters. Women were mostly named with feminine characters such as beautiful flowers and plants, chastity and brightness. Name, distinguished from men.
"New Book of Tang" and "Old Book of Tang" say that Wu's name is "羾", but "羾" was created after Wu became emperor, so it cannot be the name given by his parents.
The name "Wu Zetian" was not her original name. First of all, the word "Zetian" is not a name. She is part of the title given to Wu Zetian by the new emperor after she abdicated. (The Great Sage Emperor Zetian → The Great Sage Queen Zetian → The Queen of Heaven → The Great Sage and the Queen of Heaven → The Holy Emperor of the Queen of Heaven → The Holy Queen) "Old Tang Book - Sun Chuyue Biography" records that "to avoid the taboo in the palace, he changed his name to Maodao". From this It can be seen that Wu's original name is related to Chu and Yue. Sun Chuyue made appointments with names, and since he developed the Taoism, he canceled names and used characters to implement them. This is similar to the situation in the Tang Dynasty. Wu's father, the warrior Yan, used characters to practice it, and Wu's brothers also used characters. Do it. Next, let’s look at the "New Book of Tang - Biography of Wei Siqian": "The real name is Renyue, and the courtesy name is Wei Si. The pronunciation is taboo for the heavenly father, so he is called Yu Yan." However, the warrior Yi's name is Ji, and the courtesy name is Shi Yi, so there is a problem with this record. It was probably because Wu Zetian's name was taboo, so it was changed. Why not say "Chu"? Simply because when Wu was called the Second Saint, there was Prime Minister Hao Chujun. If it was Chu, then Hao Chujun, who was Wu Zetian's confidant, would definitely change, but if he didn't change, then it was not "Chu" .
Why is it determined that Wu Zetian’s character is Mingkong? First of all, Wu Zetian's mother, Yang, advocated Buddhism, and she was most likely to give Wu Zetian a name related to Buddhism. "羾" was a word coined by Wu Zetian after she became emperor, but Mingkong was the name she used for a period of time before she became emperor. Historical records record that "I should be named Mingkong", and later named "羾". Mingkong may also be the name Wu used when she was in Ganye Temple, but her sister's name is Shun and her courtesy name is Mingze. Her sister has never been a nun, so according to historical records and other research, Mingkong is Wu Zetian's name. Later, she I made a Dharma name with Chinese characters, and then followed the family tradition for a period of time.
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It means anticipation, conciseness, economy, poverty, etc. Mingkong also has this meaning, so according to the rules of ancient naming, this meaning is consistent. Yang Shixin Buddha, so it is more likely that the Wu family used Ming Kong as its character and Yue as its name.
Meiniang cannot be Wu Zetian’s character, let alone her name. Her parents were both from noble families, and her mother was from a famous family. It was impossible for her to use the word "Mei" in such a vulgar way, and it was even more impossible to name her "Mei Niang". "New Book of Tang - The Biography of Empress Wu" records that "Taizong heard about the beauty of Shi Yan and called her a talented woman when she was fourteen years old. When her mother... Motif... met the emperor, she gave her the name 'Wu Mei'." So Wu Mei was Taizong's daughter. Shi, as for Wu Meiniang, it is not possible to find out. It may be because of habit that "Mother" is added at the end.
The origin of the name "Wu Fu"
Wu's name "Zhao" came from the eve of her becoming emperor and is not her original name. It is the first of 12 new characters presented by her nephew Zong Qinke, the minister of Fengge Palace. Although this newly created word "曌" has the same meaning as the word "zhao", its structure is special and can remind people of the majestic scene of the sun and moon in the sky, shining brightly. This may also be why Wu Zetian was particularly fond of it and chose it. Main reason to make your own name. The word "Zetian" is the name given to her by later generations. Not only because Wu Zetian announced the change of Tang Dynasty to Zhou Dynasty at the Zetian Gate, but also because the word "Zetian" had the meaning of "imitating the laws of the Emperor of Heaven", in the ninth year of Kaiyuan of Tang Dynasty (721 AD), she was compiling "Records of Zetian". In the first book, the word "Zetian" was specially used to refer to this extraordinary woman who was both a queen and an emperor. This is the earliest appearance of the special name Wu Zetian. The name Wu Zetian only became popular after later generations' evaluation of her gradually increased.