Talk about the origin of the word "emperor"

The origin of "Emperor"

Emperor means heaven in ancient times, meaning light. "He is called the emperor because he gives vitality to all things"

Emperor is the king of living things. The Lord, the sect of Xingyi, "is called the emperor because of his fertility."

The emperor is above and the emperor is below. The emperor in ancient times means heaven and earth, and the word emperor tells people that heaven and earth are Lord of all things!

The Origin of “Emperor”

From 3000 BC to the 21st century BC, it was the beginning of Chinese civilization. There were three emperors and five emperors. There are different opinions on the Three Emperors, but they are generally believed to be Fuxi, Nuwa, and Shennong. Legend has it that the Fuxi clan, also known as Huangxi, created the Bagua with the virtue of communicating with the gods, taught the people to make nets, engage in fishing, hunting and animal husbandry, get married, use lippies as gifts, make books and deeds, and perform rope-tying duties. Archeology has discovered that the earliest writing in China was about five thousand years ago. Therefore, Fuxi should indeed be the earliest representative of Chinese culture. Nuwa was the leader of the world after Fuxi. Her making of the sheng and reed was the beginning of music. It is said that she practiced stone to mend the sky and gathered reed ashes to stop the torrents of water. Shennong (Emperor Yan) succeeded Nuwa and became the ruler of the world. Legend has it that he was the inventor of farming and medicine. He also created the five-stringed harp and started wax sacrifices and markets. It seems that by his time, the Chinese nation had begun to enter an agricultural society.

The origin of "Emperor"

The "Five Emperors" are the Yellow Emperor, Zhuan Xu, Emperor Ku, Tang Yao, and Yu Shun. "Historical Records? The Chronicles of the Five Emperors"

The Yellow Emperor, His surname was Ji (or Yun Gongsun), his family name was Xuanyuan, and he had a Xiong family. He originally lived in the northwest, but later moved to the Zhuolu area (southeast of today's Zhuolu, Hebei). Emperor Yan was passed down as the Shennong clan, with the surname Jiang, and the name Lieshan clan or Lishan clan. At that time, the powerful Jiuli tribe in the south, led by their leader Chi You, competed with Emperor Yan for the lower reaches of the Yellow River. Emperor Yan failed and fled north, seeking help from the Yellow Emperor and forming an alliance. Huang Di commanded the Yan and Huang tribes to fight Chi You in the wilderness of Zhuolu. Huang Di, with the assistance of generals Feng Hou and Limu, defeated Chi You, and Chi You was killed. After the Battle of Zhuolu, a war broke out between the Yan and Huang tribes, and the Yellow Emperor defeated the Yan Emperor. From then on, various tribes in the Central Plains respected Huangdi as their political leader, and the Yan, Huang and other tribes merged into the Chinese nation under the leadership of Huangdi. Therefore, the Chinese nation has always regarded itself as the "descendants of the Yellow Emperor", and because the Yan and Huang tribes merged to form the Chinese nation, it is also called the "descendants of the Yan and Huang emperors"

The origin of "Emperor"

Historically, the monarch was called "emperor" starting from Qin Shihuang. Before that, China's supreme ruler was called "king" or simply "emperor" and "emperor", such as King Wen of Zhou, King Wu of Zhou, "Three Emperors", "Five Emperors", etc. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Zhou royal family declined and princes fought for hegemony. Some powerful princes also called themselves kings, such as King Qin, King Chu, King Qi, King Zhao, King Yan, etc. In 221 BC, King Qin Yingzheng destroyed the six kingdoms and brought peace to the world. Ying Zheng believed that this was an unprecedented achievement, and even the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors could not compare with him. If the title of "King" was not changed, "it would not be called a success and passed on to future generations", so he asked Li Si Let others study how to change their title to show their "great achievements". After discussion, Li Si and others reported to the King of Qin that in ancient times there were the Emperor of Heaven, the Emperor of Earth, and the Emperor of Tai. The Emperor of Tai was the most noble, so the word "king" could be changed to "Emperor of Tai". The King of Qin thought about it repeatedly and believed that he was "more virtuous than the three emperors and more meritorious than the five emperors", so he decided to adopt the title of "Emperor" and be called "Emperor" to show his nobility.

Another way of saying:

After Qin destroyed the Six Kingdoms, Qin Wangzheng felt that his achievements exceeded those of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. If he did not change his name, he would not be able to show his greatness, let alone let future generations understand his virtue and virtue, so he recruited Li Si and the doctors Discuss the matter of changing the emperor's title.

Prime Minister Wang Wan reported: "The names of the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors are the masters of the world. In fact, the territory they occupy is only a thousand miles in radius. It was only after the Shang and Zhou Dynasties became kings that they truly owned the world. And the Zhou Dynasty lasted for eight hundred years, so I think the title of king is the best."

King Qin said displeasedly: "I don't want the world of the Shang Dynasty for seven hundred years or the Zhou Dynasty for eight hundred years. , but a dynasty that will be passed on forever."

Li Sixian said: "Your Majesty has brought peace to the world. Now all the countries in the country have become counties, and the laws are unified by the central government. This has never happened since ancient times. Therefore, His Majesty's achievements are beyond the reach of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors. I believe that in ancient times there were Emperors of Heaven, Emperors of Earth, and Emperors of Thailand, and the Emperor of Thailand is the most noble. I suggest that we call him Emperor of Thailand.

"

When Qin Wangzheng heard this, he said happily: "The Emperor of Tai is still indistinguishable from the past. I think it is better to leave "Emperor" in "Tai" and adopt the ancient title of "Emperor" and call him "Emperor" . I am called the First Emperor, and my descendants will be counted in countless generations, from the second generation to the third generation, and even to the ten thousand generations, and my legacy will be endless. He also pursued and honored King Zhuang Xiang as the Supreme Emperor. "In this way, Yingzheng was called "Qin Shihuang", commonly known as "Qin Shihuang"

The origin of "Your Majesty"

In literary and artistic works, people often see subjects referring to the emperor. The situation of being called "Your Majesty". Why is the emperor called "Your Majesty"? "Your Majesty" is the title used by the subjects in the feudal era. "Your Majesty" originally refers to the steps of the palace, and specifically refers to the steps in front of the emperor's seat. When approaching the court, there should be ministers standing on both sides of "Your Majesty" with swords in hand to prevent unexpected events and to show their authority. The ministers often cannot speak directly to the emperor, but must be conveyed by the guards standing on "Your Majesty". The title of "Your Majesty" was first seen in Sima Qian's "Historical Records: The Chronicles of the First Emperor of Qin": "Now your Majesty has raised righteous troops, punished the remaining thieves, and pacified the world. The country has been divided into counties and counties. Unification by unity has never happened since ancient times, and it is beyond the reach of the Five Emperors. " Later, people used "Your Majesty" as a direct address to the emperor, indicating that although they were speaking to the emperor, they did not dare to forget that they were not qualified to do so in terms of etiquette.

The origin of "the emperor"

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Chu and Han fought for hegemony, and Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, finally won. In December of the fifth year of the Han Dynasty (202 BC), Xiang Yu was ambushed by Liu Bang from all sides and surrounded Gaixia (now Lingzhou, Anhui). Bi County southeast). When Liu Taigong arrived, he saw his father wearing an old coat and holding a broom, greeting him respectfully. Liu Bang was shocked and hurriedly stepped forward to help his father, but Liu Taigong kept retreating and said, "You are the emperor, who dares." Disrespect? Although I am your father, I am just a common man. Common people who disrespect the emperor will be beheaded. I don’t want to break the laws of the world because of this. "The emperor of the Han Dynasty was worried. He could not think of a good way to treat his father without being disrespectful. Later, a minister said that Qin Shihuang once respected his deceased father as the Supreme Emperor, and suggested that Liu Taigong be named "The Supreme Emperor". ". Liu Bang was overjoyed after hearing this, and immediately held a grand ceremony to help Taigong Liu ascend to the throne. From then on, the emperor's father was called "the Supreme Emperor", and this name was passed down through the generations.

The emperor is The supreme ruler of a country with an autocratic political system. It is said that the Chinese word "emperor" was created by Qin Shihuang, which is a combination of "Three Emperors" and "Five Emperors". Qin Shihuang (Ying Zheng) is the first emperor in Chinese history. /p>

In Chinese history, Qin Shihuang created the emperor system and became the first emperor, known as the "First Emperor". Since then, China has begun a period of emperor system that lasted for 2232 years. The emperor is the central power of China. The outstanding representative is the core of the government and society and enjoys the highest power and honor. The emperor calls himself "I", while others call the emperor "Your Majesty", "Long Live" or "Holy Lord". During the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shihuang tried to unite the whole country. Power is concentrated in the hands of himself (that is, the emperor), that is, "everything in the world is determined by the superiors." However, due to the numerous affairs of ruling the country, this system is actually immature. After the Qin Dynasty, the power of the emperor and the The functions were gradually assisted by a central government. In the Han Dynasty, the form of this central government was the Three Provinces and Six Ministries. In the Sui Dynasty, the system of three provinces and six ministries began. Therefore, even if the emperor was young, the central government could still operate as usual, but at the same time, due to the central government chiefs (such as Prime ministers, prime ministers, etc.) may have too much power and may threaten the emperor's power, or even become emperor through coups, such as Wang Mang usurping power.

Europe

Western "emperors". The word comes from the Latin imperator or caesar, which means the supreme ruler, head of state, and emperor of the Roman army. The monarchs of ancient European countries were usually called kings. Only the Holy Roman Empire claimed to be the successor and continuation of the Roman Empire, so its monarch was called. As emperor.

France

After the French Revolution, Napoleon restored the monarchy, because the title of king (roi) was extremely unpopular in France after the revolution, symbolizing decadence, despotism, and arrogance. , so Napoleon did not call him king but emperor.

From this time on, the title "Emperor" had a sense of being one level higher than the king. Therefore, in 1804, Francis II, Archduke of Austria and King of Hungary and Bohemia, announced the adoption of the title "Emperor of Austria" and gave up the title of Holy Roman Emperor in 1806. In 1867, the Austrian Empire implemented a dual monarchy and was changed to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Austrian Emperor also served as the King of Hungary (instead of the Hungarian Emperor, the Kingdom of Hungary had its own parliament and government).

Russia

In 1721, the Russian Senate awarded Tsar Peter I the title of Emperor (Imperator), commensurate with his more powerful monarchy and larger country. The Russian Senate directly dedicated the Latin title of the ancient Roman emperor to Peter. This is also one of Peter the Great's achievements in absorbing Western culture. Before that, the supreme ruler of Russia was called "Tsar", which means "Caesar".

Prussia

The German word "Emperor" is Kaiser, which means Caesar, not Imperator. The title "Holy Roman Emperor" is written as R?mischer Kaiser in German and Romanorum Imperator in Latin. They both mean "Emperor of the Romans". After the 18th century, many European countries became absolute monarchies, and the title emperor was mostly used as the title of an absolute monarch. At that time, there were only three emperors in Europe: France (Napoleon), Austria and Russia. In 1850, the German Confederation Parliament gave the Prussian King the title of Emperor, but was rejected. In 1871, after the Franco-Prussian War ended and Germany was unified, the King of Prussia accepted this title.

Britain

Britain itself has always been a kingdom. Queen Victoria is crowned Empress of India, succeeding the Mughal Emperor. Her title is "God bless Queen of Great Britain, Ireland and Overseas Territories, Defender of the Established Church, and Empress of India"

This is the origin of the so-called "British Empire". But to be precise, it should be said that there are two countries with the same monarch, the Kingdom of Great Britain (and its overseas territories) and the Indian Empire. The direct ruler of the British in India was Viceroy, literally translated as "Viceroy" and free translated as "Governor". In English, the emperor is called emperor and the queen is called emperess.

After Queen Victoria, the title for a male British monarch is "King the Great". Only three kings, Edward VII, George V and George VI, used this title. Edward VIII abdicated before being crowned, and India became independent during the reign of George VI, and the title of Indian Emperor was revoked.

Others

Since Peter I and Napoleon made the title "Emperor" a title and symbol of a great emperor, monarchs of some small countries also called themselves emperors, such as the Portuguese crown prince. The Emperor of Brazil, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who claimed to be Emperor of Mexico, and so on. After Haiti became independent, there was a black emperor named Henry I who was born as a slave. Ethiopia also had an emperor, but a more accurate translation would be "King of Kings (King of Kings), Lion of the Jews." Because in Ethiopia, the king is also a noble title like a duke or count. President Bokassa of the Central African Republic was also crowned emperor in the 1970s.

The Xiongnu adopted the chanyu, and the Turks and Mongols adopted the khan. The title of emperor was probably used in Japan during the Sui Dynasty. The earliest written record of a Japanese emperor is Emperor Tenmu's "Asuka Jōgohara Order" written around 673-688. China called the head of Japan the emperor around the time of the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods of the Qing Dynasty. The monarchs of Vietnam's Hou Le and Nguyen dynasties called themselves emperors internally and kings to China. North Korea was renamed an empire after 1896, and its king Yi Xi was also renamed emperor.

There are still many kingdoms in the world today, and most of them are constitutional monarchies. The emperor is only symbolic and does not have much real power. I once made a small statistics and found that there are currently 29 kingdoms in existence, including 14 in Asia, 11 in Europe, 3 in Africa, and 1 in Oceania.

The last emperor of China, Pu Yi, has been dead for forty years. The last emperor of Vietnam, Bao Da, died of illness in France the year before last. How many descendants of emperors are there in the world? The founding, governance, and destruction of a country, as well as the rise and fall of dynasties, are all inseparable from the emperor.

King has become a historical term, and China will never have an emperor again, leaving a large amount of historical materials for future generations to dig out. To study Chinese history, we must start from the "Emperor Study".

How many emperors have there been in China? Everyone has different opinions. If we only count from Qin Shihuang, there are 2 in the Qin Dynasty, 31 in the Han Dynasty, 11 in the Three Kingdoms, 16 in the Jin Dynasty, 78 in the Five Hus and Sixteen Kingdoms, 59 in the Northern and Southern Dynasties, 3 in the Sui Dynasty, and 3 in the Tang Dynasty. 22 in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, 18 in the Song Dynasty, 35 in Jin, Liao and Xixia, 18 in Yuan Dynasty, 16 in Ming Dynasty, 12 in Qing Dynasty, as well as Southern Ming and Northern Yuan, others such as Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Hong Xiuquan and his son , and even Yuan Shikai, who was called Emperor Hongxian for only two months, totaled 408 in total.

But if you add the kings, dukes, and marquises of the Eastern Zhou, Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States periods that lasted 840 years before Qin Shihuang, there will be even more. There are 121 kings and 217 dukes in total. , Hou 23rd. If the 60 emperors of the Shang Dynasty and Xia Dynasty before the Zhou Dynasty are also included, there should be 829 emperors in China.