Ancient Chinese monarchs generally had era names during their lifetimes, and temple numbers and nicknames after their deaths. For example, the aixin Jueluo Hongli calendar number is Qianlong, the temple number is Gaozong, and the nickname is "Fa Tian long yun to cheng xian jue body Yuan Li Ji Shi Wen Fenwu Qin Ming Xiao Ci Divine Pure Emperor" (referred to as Pure Emperor). All three titles can be used as synonyms for referring to the Qianlong Emperor, but the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties were generally called by year numbers in the custom. This is mainly because most of the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties used only one era name in their lifetime: Zhu Yuanzhang used the era name hongwu in his lifetime, Zhu Di used the era name of Yongle all his life, and Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty also used the era name that had not changed in their lifetime.
Emperors before the Ming and Qing dynasties usually did not use one year number to the old: Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty used the era names of Yuanguang, Yuanfeng, Yuanshuo, Yuanjiao, Yuanding, Tianhan, Taichu, Taishi, Jianyuan, Zhenghe, etc.; Emperor Gaozong of Tang used the era names of Yonghui, Xianqing, Longshuo, Linde, and Zongzhang; Empress Wu Zetian used the era names of Longshi, Sacred Calendar, Shengong, Shenlong, and Zhengsheng... Because the emperor's era name before the Ming and Qing dynasties was not a relationship between an era name corresponding to a person, it was more accustomed to be called xxzu, xxzong, and xx emperor according to the temple number and nickname after the emperor's death. Of course, there is still a difference between the temple number and the name: like Tang Gaozu and Song Taizu are the temple number; Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Wen of Sui are the name of the temple.
The temple number originated in the Shang Dynasty, and the temple number originated in the Zhou Dynasty. Before the Sui Dynasty, not all kings had temple names: among the emperors of the Han Dynasty, only the founding emperor Liu Bang, the Han Wen Emperor Liu Heng, the Han Wu Emperor Liu Che, the Han Xuan Emperor Liu Qing, and the Han Guangwu Emperor Liu Xiu had their own temple names. Therefore, until the Sui Dynasty, the emperors were generally called xx emperors according to the temple number, and when the number of words in the Tang Dynasty swelled to the point where people could not remember, the temple number instead replaced the number of the temple to play the function of covering the coffin, so the emperors after the Tang Dynasty were often called xx zu and xx zong according to the temple number: Tang Gaozu, Tang Taizong, Tang Gaozong, Tang Xuanzong, Song Taizu, Song Taizong, Song Renzong, Song Shenzong, etc. were thus remembered by later generations.
Usually, more of the successive monarchs of a dynasty have the word "Zong" in the temple number than the word "Zu". In the "Confucius Language and Temple System", it is mentioned that the criteria for determining the temple number are "the ancestors have merit and the ancestors have virtue". The "merit" mentioned here cannot be just a general merit, but must be the merit of the dynasty's founding of the foundation. Temple numbers with the character "Zu" usually have Taizu, Gaozu, and Shizu. The temple name Taizu is usually used for the founders of the dynasty: Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, Liao Taizu Yelü Abaoji, Jin Taizu Guanyan Akuta, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, these are typical founding emperors. However, not all the people whose temple names were Taizu were founding emperors: Cao Cao of Wei Taizu, Sima Zhao of Jin Taizu, Yang Zhong of Sui Taizu, and Li Hu of Tang Taizu never became emperors for a day.
Of course, these people did lay the early foundation for the establishment of the dynasty. Cao Cao and Sima Zhao were familiar with the foundation laid by Cao Wei and the Western Jin Dynasty. Yang Zhong and Li Hu enabled their families to join the Guanlong aristocratic clique at that time, and the later sui and Tang dynasties were from the Guanlong clique. If the founding emperor of a dynasty is basically self-made, he is called Taizu; if the grandparents or fathers have accumulated certain political resources, then they will usually be called Gaozu after a Taizu. What we now call Han Gaozu Liu Bang is actually the original temple number of Han Taizu: Liu Bang's temple number is Taizu, and his title is Emperor Gao, and later the temple number and the nickname were misused to become the han Gaozu that is now called.
Shizu usually refers to the emperor of the dynasty. The more famous ancestors in history are Liu Xiu, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty, and Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty. The rule of the Western Han Dynasty had already been usurped by Wang Mang, and Liu Xiu's rebellion was actually a reconstruction of the Han Chamber. This is actually a pioneering work, so the temple number of the ancestor is also used appropriately. Because the ancestors must have the merit of pioneering, the emperors who call the ancestors are far less than the emperors. However, in the Qing Dynasty, there were three monarchs who had three monarchs with the word "zu" in their temple titles: Taizu Nurhaci, Shizu Shunzhi, and Shengzu Kangxi. The reason why the Qing Dynasty appeared three monarchs with the word "Zu" in the temple number is related to the special historical background of the Qing Dynasty.
In 1583, the Qing Taizu Nurhaci raised an army with thirteen pairs of armor left by his grandfather and father, and after more than 20 years of conquest, he unified the Jurchen departments. In 1616, Nurhaci formally established the Houjin regime and rebelled against the Ming Dynasty. The earliest political foundation of the Qing Dynasty was indeed established in the hands of Nurhaci: the Eight Flags system and the Manchu language were born in the Nurhaci period. All this laid the foundation for longxing in the Qing Dynasty. The entry of Qing troops into Beijing in 1644 marked the official transformation of the Qing Dynasty from a separatist regime in the northeastern region to an orthodox dynasty. The reigning Emperor of the Qing Dynasty at this time was Fu Lin, the ninth son of Emperor Taiji. Fu Lin, the Shunzhi Emperor, became the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty after entering the Customs.
During the reign of Shunzhi, the Qing Dynasty realized its long-cherished wish to enter the Central Plains as a kind of "re-entrepreneurship". However, in fact, the Relationship between the Qing Army's ability to enter the customs and Shunzhi himself was not great: Shunzhi was only six years old when the Qing army entered the customs, so the military and political affairs at that time were mainly responsible for the regent Dorgon. The Qing army was able to enter the pass in fact, to a considerable extent, it was the credit of Dolgun, but Dolgun was not an emperor after all, so the title of Shizu naturally fell on Shunzhi's head. In addition to Nurhaci being called Taizu and Shunzhi being called Shizu, Kangxi was known as Shengzu among the emperors of the Qing Dynasty. It is said that Kangxi could not have been called the ancestor: the imperial lineage of the Qing Dynasty would have been the fourth emperor if it had been passed down to Kangxi from Nurhaci.
Kangxi's Jiangshan was not built by himself, but was inherited from his grandparents and fathers. As early as the Shunzhi era, the Qing Dynasty had entered the Central Plains. Kangxi did not have the merits of Nurha Chicao in creating the world, nor did he achieve the achievements of starting a business again during the Shunzhi period, even if Kangxi had outstanding achievements in governing the world, he could only be called Zongzong according to routine, otherwise would Yongzheng and Qianlong after that also be called ancestors according to their merits? Even the Yongzheng Emperor, who succeeded to the Kangxi Emperor's throne, said bluntly in his edict: "My emperor Kao Daxing Emperor has succeeded to the throne." The old canon was supposed to be called a sect.". Of course, The subtext of Yongzheng saying that "the old classics should have been called Zong" is actually that he intends to break through the conventional conventions and honor Kangxi with the ancestral title.
So there must be a reason for Yongzheng to want to break the conventional practices, right? The reason given by Yongzheng was: "My Emperor Kao Hongyou Jun lie crown ancient and modern, Tuoyu opened up the frontier to the extreme." And for more than sixty years, the hand has set the Taiping, Deyang Enpu, and the king of all nations. On the succession of the unification is shoucheng, on the xunye is actually the beginning." The peculiarity of Kangxi in the history of the Qing Dynasty is that he was actually a founding and shoucheng emperor: the Southern Ming regime was still in place when the Qing army entered the customs during the Shunzhi period. When Kangxi succeeded to the throne, the Qing Dynasty had already entered the Central Plains, but the rule of the Qing Dynasty was not actually stable. The Zheng family in Taiwan still carries the banner of the Ming Dynasty, and forces such as San Francisco, Tsarist Russia, and Dzungar also pose a threat to the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
It was not until the 22nd year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1683) that the Qing army pacified the Zheng regime in Taiwan that the last Ming dynasty forces were eliminated. During his reign, Kangxi pacified San Francisco, expelled Tsarist Russia, and conquest of Geldan, while also focusing on the development of economic and people's livelihood. A series of martial arts during kangxi's 61-year reign did indeed lay the foundation for Kangqian's prosperity. However, it is actually more far-fetched to give Kangxi the ancestral title of honorific title. Didn't Emperor Taizong of Tang Li Shimin have the merit of laying the foundation for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty? But after Li Shimin's death, the temple number was still Taizong. Although Kangxi's pioneering historical significance to the Qing Dynasty is great, it is not necessarily greater than Li Shimin's pioneering significance for the history of the Tang Dynasty, right?
In fact, if it were not for Yongzheng's vigorous intervention, then the possibility of Kangxi's temple being called Zong would be greater. The reason why Yongzheng had to call Kangxi his ancestor was actually to establish his own political legitimacy. We know that Yongzheng finally stood out and won the throne after experiencing the cruel conquest of the nine sons. Many people have doubts about Yongzheng's ascension to the throne, so Yongzheng must mold himself into the legitimate successor and loyal follower of his father. The best way for Yongzheng to shape this political legitimacy is to show his respect for his father, so highlighting the status of his father, Kangxi, is actually a means for Yongzheng to consolidate his throne.
Moreover, the example of Kangxi, who was not the founding prince but was called the ancestor, is not without precedent: the earliest temple name of the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty was Ming Taizong, and during the Jiajing period, it was also the reason for his prominent political position that was changed to Ming Chengzu. Among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di, the temple numbers of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di were with the character "Zu". In order to establish his political legitimacy, Yongzheng followed the example of the Ming Dynasty's honor of Zhu Di as the ancestor of Chengzu and the honor of Kangxi as the Holy Ancestor. In fact, if Kangxi can be called Zu, then it is not very reasonable that Huang Taiji is not called Zu. The post-Jin regime of the Nurhaci era was actually still in the stage of transition from clan tribes to state power.
It was not until 1636 that Emperor Taiji, the son of Nurhaci, changed the name of the country to Qing, changed the era name to Chongde, changed the name of the Jurchen tribe to Manchuria, and changed the title of Khan to emperor. Strictly speaking, the Emperor Taiji family began to officially call the emperor here, and the national name of "Qing" was also used from the time of Emperor Taiji. It was in the hands of Emperor Taiji that enabled the Qing Dynasty to compete with the Ming Dynasty. Since Kangxi, who was not the founding emperor, could be called the ancestor, it is said that the emperor Taiji did not have a certain pioneering merit? It can only be said that the level of Sinicization in the Qing Dynasty at that time was not enough, so it was not very good at the standard of calling the ancestors and calling the emperors.