Why did Emperor Taiji change the name of the country to "Qing"

Emperor Taiji was the second emperor of the Qing Dynasty, also known as "Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty". During his reign, he changed the original era name tiancong to Chongde and the national name to Qing. As for the origin of "Qing", there have always been many sayings, and there is no consensus.

Some people think that the word "Qing" is related to a big green horse that Nurhaci rode when he fled. It is said that because of the rush, the big green horse was exhausted and died, but Nurhaci escaped the disaster. He had great affection for this horse, and said, "Daqing, Daqing, you are tired for me, and in the future I will win the world, and my name will be Daqing." "Qing" and "Qing" are harmonic sounds, and later Emperor Taiji used this as a national name after he was proclaimed emperor in Shengjing. Others believe that "Qing" and "Jin" are pronounced very similarly in Manchu, so they use "Qing". The Manchus were a branch of the Jin people, and the Qing pointed out the origins of this nation. Some people also explain from shamanic culture that "Qing" is "Qing", "Qing" without three points of water and "Qing" with three points of water are a sound, and Qing tian is tongtian, auspicious meaning.

In addition, some people believe that it is the need for Emperor Taiji to enter the Central Plains, because "Jin" is reminiscent of the Great Golden State in the Southern Song Dynasty, and when people mention the Jin people, they think of Yue Fei, and changing the name of the country to "Qing" is conducive to reducing resistance. In addition, some people believe that Huang Taiji knows the five elements of mathematics or gets guidance from a superior person when determining the name of the country. Because the five elements of "Qing" belong to water, and "Ming" belongs to fire because there is "day" on the left, and water is fire. This means that the Great Qing will surely defeat the Great Ming Dynasty and replace it. There is no account of the reason why Emperor Taiji changed the name of the country to "Qing" through the history, emperor Taiji himself did not explain, and the Qing Dynasty's "Records of Emperor Taizong" did not record. So this has become a mystery, and the above several statements are the inferences of posterity.

Further reading: The Cycle of Five Virtues

The "five virtues" refer to the five virtues or qualities of water, fire, wood, gold, and earth. The "five virtues cycle" is the cycle in which the "five virtues" are born and cycle by side. This doctrine was most common in ancient Chinese dynastic succession. According to the historical records, the "five virtues cycle" appeared from the time of the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, such as the Fuxi clan as the King of Mude, the Shennong clan as the King of Huode, the Ming Dynasty as Huode, and the Qing Dynasty as Shuide. The "Five Virtues" doctrine was first proposed by Zou Yan in the Warring States period. With the virtues of the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth being matched with each dynasty, it is believed that the change of dynasties is the symbiosis, reciprocity and final cycle of the five virtues. "History of Mencius Xunqing's Biography": "Zou Yan saw that those who had a state were interested in adultery and were not virtuous. Since the judgment of the heavens and the earth, the five virtues have shifted, and each rule has its own appropriateness, and the fu should be Ruozi. "There are two methods of the Five Elements with the Virtue of the Emperor: one is that according to the order of the five elements, the Fuxi clan (wood), the Shennong clan (fire), the Xuanyuan clan (earth), the Jin Tianshi (jin), the Gaoyang clan (wood), the Yao (fire), the Shun (earth), the Yu (jin), the Shang (water), the Zhou (wood), and the Han (fire). Second, according to the order of the five elements of victory (grams), Zhou Huode, then Qin replaced it with water virtue; Qin Water Virtue, then Han replaced it with Tude.