huáng dì
emperor
秦始皇是中国历史上第一个皇帝。
Qín Shǐhuáng shì Zhōngguó lìshǐ shàng dì yī gè huángdì.
Qin Shihuang was the first emperor in Chinese history.
唐太宗是一位贤明的皇帝。
Táng Tàizōng shì yī wèi xiánmíng de huángdì.
Emperor Taizong of Tang was a wise emperor.
清朝的最后一位皇帝是溥仪。
Qīngcháo de zuìhòu yī wèi huángdì shì Pǔyí.
The last emperor of the Qing Dynasty was Puyi.
天子 (tiān zǐ)
Son of Heaven
君主 (jūn zhǔ)
Monarch
平民 (píngmín)
commoner
百姓 (bǎixìng)
the people
The Chinese word 皇帝 (huángdì) for "emperor" is a compound of two characters: 皇 (huáng) and 帝 (dì). The character 皇 originally meant "bright" or "shining", and was often used to describe the sun or the stars. In ancient China, the emperor was considered to be the Son of Heaven, and so the character 皇 was used to refer to him as a symbol of his divine authority. The character 帝 originally meant "god" or "ruler", and was used to refer to the supreme deity in ancient Chinese religion. Over time, the character 帝 came to be used more broadly to refer to any ruler, including the emperor. The combination of the characters 皇 and 帝 in the word 皇帝 thus creates a powerful and majestic title for the emperor, signifying his divine authority and supreme power.
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