Qin Shi Huang (259 BC – 210 BC) was the "First Emperor", and before Qin Shi Huang, there were only "Emperors" and "Emperors", such as the Three Emperors and Five Emperors. Qin Shi Huang was the first person to call himself "Emperor", and he believed that he was a martial artist who surpassed the ancients, and only the word "emperor" could be worthy of himself. In the later years of Qin Shi Huang's life, his self swelled to the point of no return, and he fantasized about passing on the country and mountains to all the worlds.
In the twenty-sixth year of Qin Shi Huang, only 2 years after his death, he felt that "calling himself a lonely man" was not enough to show that he was different, so he set "朕" as the emperor's self-proclaimed zigzag, and others were not allowed to use it. The meaning of "朕" is actually the same as "lonely and widowed", it is the meaning of "I", before Qin Shi Huang, people can call themselves "朕".
However, in the pre-Qin period, not everyone could casually call themselves Yuan, and people of generally distinguished status could be called Yuan. For example, Qu Yuan called himself "Yuan", and he said at the beginning of "Leaving sorrow": "Emperor Gaoyang's Miao descendants are Xi, and Emperor Gaoyang's Examination is Boyong" (朕帝考曰伯庸)." Qu Yuan's position in the Chu state was very noble, and it was okay to call himself Yuan.
From the "Book of Shang" and "Zuo Zhuan", it is not difficult to find that the person who calls "Yuan" as a self-proclaimed person is either an imperial general or a tribal leader. Erya Shiyi: "Shu, body also." Guo Pu's note: "Today's people also call themselves. Cai Yong of the Eastern Han Dynasty said more clearly in his "Dictatorship": "Yuan, I, too, the ancients respected and humbled, and the nobles are not ashamed." ”
In ancient times, the holy kings Yao and Shun used "朕" as their own title, for example, the Book of Shang records that "Emperor Yue: 'Consultation! Si Yue: After seventy years of reign, Ru Neng was able to live. Sundanese? "The emperor said: 'Consulting the four mountains, there are three ceremonies of the canon'."
In the pre-Qin period, there were six characters that could replace "I", namely "Yu", "朕", "I", "Wu", "Tai", and "卬". The choice of "朕" as the exclusive pronoun for the emperor was by no means chosen by Qin Shi Huang at will, and must have been carefully considered by qin shi huang. Because "朕" in ancient times, Yao and Shun used "朕" as their own titles. But at that time, Yao Shun did not forbid others to call themselves Yuan.
Beginning with Qin Shi Huang, "朕" became his exclusive self-designation. Over time, "I" and "I" are used more casually, and "朕" has a dignified and solemn meaning, and after Qin Shi Huang, except for the emperor, who dares to call himself "朕" is a major crime of rebellion.
The famous historian Lu Simian said in his work "History of the Pre-Qin Dynasty" that "朕" is a hieroglyphic character, and when it is taken apart, it is "boat" and "灷", the original meaning of which is: fire in the boat. In ancient times, there was a lot of water, the people usually lived near the water, the boat is very important; the tools for making fire are limited, and if you can't get the fire, it will be extinguished, so fire has always been one of the objects of worship of the ancients.
So "boats" and "fire" were important means of production in ancient times, and whoever had a small boat was the same as who has a private jet now, and who has a "source of fire" is the same as who has an oil mine now. If anyone can sail alone in a boat, and there is a fire in the boat that can make cooked food, it must be an extraordinary position. Therefore, the original meaning of "朕" was extended from "fire in the boat" to a symbol of wealth and power. After taking apart the "Yuan", I understood Qin Shi Huang's intentions.
Wang Anshi married his daughter-in-law to someone else, and his son wrote a poem in pain, regretting that he should not have done so