"Emperor Han Wu of Qin, slightly lost Wencai, Tang Emperor Songzu..." This poem is from Grandpa Mao's "Qinyuan Spring and Snow", in which Tang Zong said that Li Shimin and Song Zu said Zhao Kuangyin, which is their temple number.
The symbol of the end of the reign of a generation of emperors depends on whether his temple is destroyed or not. When his temple was destroyed, his time was over. (The ancient taimiao temple refers to the current Zongmiao Temple.) The temple number has its basic rules: those who have merit are called ancestors, and those who have virtue are called sects. The ancestor who expanded the territory of the country, developed new territories, and created a huge family inheritance for the family: the person who guarded the family property well and developed more perfectly was called the zong. In a dynasty, the difference is good, the founding emperor is the ancestor, and their successor is the zong.
What we hear most often is what kind of sect, such as Tang Taizong, Song Taizong, and so on. Of course, the second is the ancestor, what kind of ancestor, such as Gao Zu and Taizu. As the title says, where is Taizu Gaozu? What's the difference? The following is a slow explanation for everyone.
Taizu and Gaozu are well distinguished in terms of names, for example, Zhao Kuangyin and Li Yuan. Zhao Kuangyin's father was actually just a small official, that is, a small official who was not worth mentioning, and that was all. Li Yuan and his Zhao Kuangyin are very different, he comes from an important figure in an organization, and there is a huge force behind him.
From this point of view, their difference lies in the process of their respective kings. Zhao Kuangyin was a self-made man, and on the road to becoming a king, he was extremely difficult, relying on his own willpower and endurance and other abilities in various aspects, and finally when Chen Qiao mutinied, he finally added his yellow robe. Li Yuan's beginning was relatively relaxed, and as the duke of the country, he stood on the basis of what his predecessors had done and launched an uprising. It is true that he has done a lot of merit, but it has to be said that it is indeed very related to his ancestors. Therefore, he could not take the credit of his ancestors as his own, but was called GaoZu.
In Li Yuan's heart, it was very clear that his grandfather had a very powerful place. So after he succeeded, he sealed his grandfather Li Hu. Li Hu did too much for the Li family, so he was posthumously honored as Taizu.
Yang Jian, the founder of the Sui Dynasty, was in a similar situation to Li Yuan, and was Gao Zu rather than Taizu. Yang Jian and Li Yuan's father were in a conjoined relationship, and their daughters-in-law were from a lonely family. They were all good in terms of background and daughter-in-law, so after Yang Jian accepted Zen concessions, even the founding emperor did not call himself Taizu, but only Sui Taizu.
Having said taizu and gaozu, there are only shizu and holy ancestors left. Outstanding representatives of Shizu: Kublai Khan, Shunzhi. Kublai Khan inherited the Mongol Empire from his grandfather Temujin, transferred the country to the Central Plains, and established the Yuan Dynasty.
Shunzhi's ancestral name came very simply, nothing was done, sleep, the Qing Dynasty changed from the outside to the inside. Under the great deeds of Nurhaci and Huang Taiji, Shunzhi, known as his name, was the one who completed the transfer of power, but it was too watery.
In fact, at that time, a lot of work was done by Dorgon, and if Dorgon had been the king, the title of ancestor would have been very worthy of him. They all blame Dorgon himself for falling in love with Da Yu'er and giving up the throne to Shunzhi, otherwise history will be rewritten now, and Shunzhi will have nothing to do with it.
Just look at Kangxi's temple number, Shunzhi is not a useless one, Kangxi is called Shengzu Kangxi. Even if Kangxi was not the founding emperor, he was also called Shengzu, which can be seen how much Kangxi helped the construction of the Qing Dynasty.
Even if Li Shimin's deeds in this life are very prominent, it must be Tang Taizong, who cannot be compared with Gao Zu and is not ranked first. But Kangxi was different, Qing Shengzu, whose exploits raised the Qing Dynasty to a higher level and made the Qing Dynasty more prosperous. If you look at the merits alone, he has reached the level of gaozu, but it is not in line with the etiquette system, so the world calls Kangxi the Holy Ancestor.
Like the current title, the ancient temple numbers are very exquisite and have great knowledge. Almost his meaning is very different. For the sake of fairness, in principle, it is still a matter of status determined by the number of merits. Even if it is the emperor, even the founding emperor, in terms of title, you can't say what you want. This is really valuable in the ancient feudal dynasties, and it is very worth learning and passing on to the world. Everything is done by ability, not by mouth.
The above is the difference between Taizu Gaozu. What do you think?