Origin of the names of China's eighteen dynasties: China has a long history, and the dynasties are more sporadic. The first thing the founder of each dynasty had to do was to establish the name of the country (the name of the dynasty). The name of the country is the title of a country. The name is not justified, and the name of the country is justified, representing the birth of a new national dynasty. At the same time, it is also said that the "History of the Five Emperors benji" says: "From the Yellow Emperor to Shunyu, all have the same surname and different national names, with Zhang Mingde."
So what determines the name of the country? Generally speaking, there are roughly five origins: from the names of tribes and tribal alliances, from the original titles and titles of the creators; Originating from the area ruled by the original or regime of the founder; Stemming from clan relations; It means auspicious.
Next, let's take a look at the specific national names in Chinese history and their origins:
1. Summer:
It is said that Yu was once under the influence of Xia Bo, so he used to call his regime "Xia". According to historian Mr. Fan Wenlan, Yu's son qi moved west to Bactria (around Fenxun in southern Shanxi) before he was called "Xia".
2. Quotient:
According to legend, Qi, the ancestor of the Shang (present-day Shangqiunan, Henan), helped Yu Zhishui to make meritorious contributions to the Shang, and later called his tribe (or tribe) "Shang". After the Tang Dynasty destroyed Xia, it took "Shang" as the name of the country. After The Later Pan Geng moved to Yin (present-day northwest of Anyang, Henan), it was also called "Yin" or "Yin Shang".
3. Weeks:
When the Zhou tribe arrived at the ancient Gonggong's father, they moved to Zhouyuan (present-day Qishan, Shaanxi). After King Wu destroyed Yin, he took "Zhou" as the name of the dynasty. In the early Zhou Dynasty, the capital was built in Ho (present-day southwest of Xi'an, Shaanxi), and later King Ping moved east to Luoyi (present-day Luoyang, Henan), because in the east of The Pickaxe, there were titles of "Western Zhou" and "Eastern Zhou".
4. Qin:
According to the "Records of History", the original was an ancient tribe, and its leader Fei Zi was the King of Zhou Xiao wang Yangma, who had achievements, and was given the surname of "嬴" by the king of Zhou Xiao, and gave a small piece of land (present-day Tianshui County, Gansu, also known as the name of Longxi Valley). Later, Xiang saved Zhou Yougong and was made a prince, and Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms and founded the Qin state.
5. Han:
Xiang Yu made Liu Bang the King of Han, and later Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu and unified China, and the country was called "Han". In the early Han Dynasty, the capital was Chang'an, and in the later period, Luoyang, so there were "Western Han" and "Eastern Han" from the capital, and "Former Han" and "Later Han" in time.
6. Wei:
Emperor Xian of Han once made Cao Cao the title of "Duke of Wei" and "King of Wei", and Cao Pi was called "Wei" after he replaced Han. With the royal family name Cao, it is also known as "Cao Wei" in history.
7. Shu:
Liu Bei used Sichuan as the area of activity, Shu referred to Sichuan, and his political power was called "Shu". Historically, it is also known as "Shu Han". Han refers to the continuation of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
8. Wu:
Sun Quan was active in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and in history he built the State of Wu, and Cao Wei once named Sun Quan the "King of Wu", so the history was called "Sun Wu"; It is also known as "Eastern Wu" in terms of status in the East.
9. Jin:
Sima Zhao forced Emperor Wei to make him the "Duke of Jin", and after the destruction of Shu, he was made the King of Jin. Later, his son Si Yan succeeded him to his title, forced Emperor Wei to abdicate, and established himself as emperor with the state name "Jin".
10. Sui:
Yang Zhong, the father of Emperor Yang Jian of Sui, was once made the Duke of Suiguo by Northern Zhou. Emperor Wen of Sui used this title as "Sui Dynasty". He thought that the meaning of going with the flow was to be ominously changed to "Sui".
11. Tang:
Li Yuan's grandfather Li Hu (李虎), zuo zhou yougong, was posthumously awarded the title of "Duke of Tang", and the title was passed to Li Yuan. After taiyuan raised an army, Li Yuan was called "King of Tang", and later deposed Yang You to establish the Tang Dynasty.
12. Liao:
Liao was originally called "Khitan", and the change to "Liao" was due to the fact that it lived in the upper reaches of the Liao River.
13. Song:
After Emperor Gong of Later Zhou succeeded to the throne, he appointed Zhao Kuangyin as an envoy to Guide Jiedushi, a German army stationed in Songzhou (present-day Shangqiu, Henan), and Zhao Kuangyin as an envoy to Songzhou. Therefore, after the Chen Qiao Mutiny, it originated in SongZhou, and the national name was "Song".
14. Western Xia:
Tuoba Sigong occupied Xia Prefecture (夏州, in present-day Hengshan County, Shanxi), which was named after Xia Prefecture when it was founded and called "Great Xia". Because it was in the West, the Song people called it "Western Xia".
15. Gold:
The Golden Capital City of Shangjing Huining (present-day Acheng South, Heilongjiang), located in the Press Out Tiger Water (present-day Ashe River), is said to have produced gold in aquatic products, and the Jurchen language "jin" is "pressed out of the tiger".
16. Yuan:
According to the "History of the Yuan", the name of "Yuan" was set by Kublai Khan, the ancestor of the Yuan Dynasty. It is taken from the "Yuan" in the sentence "DaZha Qianyuan" in the "I Ching", which has the meaning of big and first. However, some people believe that it is related to the customs and totems of the Mongols, and some think that it is related to Buddhism.
17. Ming:
Zhu Yuanzhang was one of the rebels at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and was developed by inheriting Guo Zixing, who belonged to the White Lotus Sect. The White Lotus Sect declared that "darkness is about to pass and light is coming" to inspire the people to oppose the dark Yuan Dynasty rule. Therefore, it is also called "Illuminati". The leader of the White Lotus Sect, Han Shantong, was called "King Ming" (his son Han Lin'er was called "King Xiaoming"), which reflected the purpose of his teachings. Zhu Yuanzhang not only once believed in the White Lotus Sect, but also admitted that he was a member of the White Lotus Sect rebel army (he was once the left deputy marshal of Xiaoming Wang). After Zhu Yuanzhang came to power, the state was known as "Ming".
18. Qing:
The Manchus are a branch of the Jurchens. The Jurchens established the Jin Dynasty during the Northern Song Dynasty. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Jurchen forces were restored and the Jin Kingdom (Later Jin) was rebuilt. Later Jin, in order to expand outward, severed the subordinate relationship with the Ming Dynasty, and Emperor Taiji of the Qing Dynasty changed "Jurchen" to "Manchuria" and "Jin" to "Qing".
During the Song Dynasty, the Jurchens were subject to the Khitans, and he took the word "Liao" as meaning "iron" in the Khitan language, so he named it "Jin", indicating that it was stronger and more powerful than iron and could overwhelm "Liao". Historians have different opinions on the reasons for changing "Jin" to "Qing", and some people believe that Huang Taiji wants to avoid causing sharp contradictions.