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Home > Posthumous name

1 History

Having its origins in the Zhou Dynasty, posthumous names were used 800 years earlier than temple name. The first person named posthumously was Ji Fa (姬昌), named by his son Ji Fa (姬發) of Zhou, as the "Civil King" (文王). The use of posthumous names was stopped in the Qin DynastyThe Qin Dynasty or Ch'in Dynasty ( Wade-Giles) ( 221 BC 207/ 206 BC) preceded by the Zhou Dynasty and followed by the Han Dynasty in China. Qin is sometimes spelt as Chin and is a possible origin of the word "China". See also: China in world languages)., because Qin Shi Huang proclaimed that it is disrespectful for the descendants, or "later emperors" (嗣皇帝) to judge their elders, or the "prior emperors" (先帝). The practice was revived in the Han DynastyThe Han Dynasty ( Traditional Chinese characters: , Simplified Chinese characters: , pinyin Hanchao 202 BCE 220 CE) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. During the Han Dynasty, China officially became a Confucian state and pr after the demise of the Qin Empire.

2 Chinese emperors

All Chinese posthumous names for rulers end in one or two of the characterTraditional Chinese and other languages. Simplified Chinese Chinese characters or Han characters (/) are used in the written forms of the Chinese language, and to varying degrees in the Japanese and Korean languages (though the latter only in South Korea)s for " emperor", huangdi (皇帝), which can be shortened to di; except about a dozen or so less recognized ones who have had only di and no huang.

Starting with Emperor Xiaowen of Han China (more commonly "Emperor Wen"), every single Han emperor, except the final one of the Eastern Han, has the character of " filialIn Confucian thought, filial piety (Xiao ) is one of the virtues to be cultivated, a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors. More under Confucianism. In general terms, filial piety means obedience to one's parents during their lifetime and--as t" (孝 xiào) at the beginning of his posthumous names. "Filial" is also used in the full posthumous names of virtually all emperors of TangTang Dynasty ( 618- 907) followed the Sui Dynasty and preceded the Five Dynasties and the Ten Kingdoms Period in China. The dynasty was interrupted by the Second Zhou Dynasty (690-705) when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne. The Tang dynasty, with its c, Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties. For Qing emperors, "filial" is placed in various position in the string of characters, while those Qing empresses who were given posthumous names, "filial" is always initial.

The number of characters in posthumous increased slowly. The emperors of the Tang Dynasty have names in between seven to eighteen characters. Those in the Qing Dynasty have over twenty characters, for example, Kangxi's name is The Emperors of Order who Observes the Heavenly Rituals with a Solemn Fate, Destined to Unify, Establishes with Extreme Talented Insights, Admires the Arts, Manifests the Might, with Great Virtue and Vast Achievement, Reaches Humanity, Purely Filial" (禮天隆運定統建極英睿欽文顯武大德宏功至仁純孝章皇帝 lǐ tiān lóng yǔn dìng tǒng jiàn jí ying ruì qin wén xiǎn wǔ dà dé hóng gong zhì rén chún xiào zhāng huáng dì).

The woman with the longest posthumous name is Empress Cixi, who is "The Empress who is Admirably Filial, Initiates Kindness, with Blessed Health, Manifests Much Contentment, Solemn Sincerity, with Longevity, Provides Admiration Prosperously, Reveal Adoration, Prosperous with a Merry Heaven, with a Holy Appearance" (孝欽慈禧端佑康頤昭豫莊誠壽恭欽獻崇熙配天興聖顯皇后 xiào qin cí xi duān yǒu kāng yí zhāo yù zhuāng chéng shào gong qin xiàn chóng xi bèi tiān xìn shèng yán xiǎn huáng hòu).

Posthumous names can be praises (褒字) or depreciations (貶字). There are more praises than depreciations, so posthumous names are also commonly called respectful name (尊號 zun1 hao4) in Chinese. Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian outlines extensively the rules behind choosing the names. Below lists some of those guidelines:

• Praises
  • Those who are unyielding and upholds reasons (剛強直理) are called "Martial" (武 wǔ). [This is one of the most honourable name.]
  • Those who sympathize with the people and are able to _?_ (憫民會椅) are called "Civil" (文 wén). [This is one of the most honourable name.]
  • Those who respect the talented and value righteousness (尊賢貴義) are called "Reverent" (恭 gòng).
  • Those who are kind and wise (溫柔賢善) are called "Benign" (懿 yì).
  • Those who use righteousness to aid (由義而濟) are called "Admirable" (景 jǐng).
  • Those who treat the people compassionately with a gentle quality (柔質慈民) are called "Compassionate" (惠 huì).
  • Those who eliminate destructions and purge cruelty (除殘去虐) are called "Tang" (湯 tāng). [Possibly named after the revered ruler, Chengtang (成湯), the founder of the Shang Dynasty.]
  • Those who calm the people and establish (安民立政) are called "Established" (成 chéng). [Possibly named after Chengtang.]
  • Those who whose considerations are determined and farsighted (果慮果遠) are called "Brilliant" (明 míng).
  • Those who widely distributes his virtues and righteousness (布德執義) are called "Majestic" (穆 mù).
  • Those who cultivate the land and journeys afar (辟土服遠) are called "Exploratory" (桓 huán).
  • "High(ly respected)" (高 gāo) is reserved only for founders.

• Depreciations
  • Those who lived short lives without much accomplishment (短折不成) are called "Passed Away Prematurely" (殤 shāng).
  • Those who encountered depressive emotions during their time in the nation (在國遭憂) are called "Pitiful" (愍 mǐn).
  • Those who are alone young and die young (蚤孤短折) are called "Lamentable" (哀 āi).
  • Those who are without restraint and often make sacrifices to the ancestors (肆行勞祀) are called "Mournful" (悼 dào).

However, most of these qualifications are subjective, repetitive, and highly stereotypical, hence the names are chosen somewhat arbitrarily.

Because it is given by the descendants, the last one or two emperors of a dynasty are usually without posthumous names.

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