A Chinese era name (traditional Chinese: 年號; simplified Chinese: 年号; pinyin: niánhào) is the era name, reign period, or regnal title used when traditionally numbering years in an emperor's reign and naming certain Chinese rulers (see the conventions). Some emperors have several era names, one after another, where each beginning of a new era resets the numbering of the year back to year one or yuán (元). The numbering of the year increases on the first day of the Chinese calendar each year. The era name originated as a motto or slogan chosen by an emperor. Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of the contemporary Chinese written language. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... An era name was assigned as the name of each year by the leader (emperor or king) of the East Asian countries of China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam during some portion of their history. ... For the volcano in Indonesia, see Emperor of China (volcano). ... Chinese New Year (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), or Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. ... For other uses, see Motto (disambiguation). ... Look up slogan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

How the Era System worked

Emperor Wu of Han (Han Wudi) was conventionally regarded as the first emperor to declare an era name; however he was only the first to use an era name in every year of his reign. His grandfather and father also employed era names, though not continuously. Han Wudi changed period titles every five years or so, going through a total of eleven reigning slogans during his reign from 140 BC to 87 BC. Emperor Wu of Han (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), (156 BC[1]–March 29, 87 BC), personal name Liu Che (劉徹), was the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty in China, ruling from 141 BC to 87 BC. Emperor Wu is best remembered for the vast territorial expansion that occurred under... Emperor Wen of Han (202 BC–157 BC) was an emperor of the Han Dynasty in China. ... Emperor Jing of Han (188 BC–141 BC) was an emperor of China in the Han Dynasty from 156 BC to 141 BC. Era names Zhongyuan (中元 zhōng yúan) 149 BC-143 BC Houyuan (後元 hòu yúan) 143 BC-141 BC Personal... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC - 140s BC - 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC Years: 145 BC 144 BC 143 BC 142 BC 141 BC - 140 BC - 139 BC 138 BC... Lucius Cornelius Cinna is elected consul of Rome, thus returning the rule of Rome back to the democrats. ...

Each era name has a literary meaning. For instance, the first era name of Han Wudi was Jianyuan (建元 in pinyin: jiàn yuán), literally meaning "establishing the First". Era names also reflected characteristics of political and other landscapes at the time. Jianzhongjingguo (建中靖國 jiàn zhōng jìng guó), the first era name of Emperor Huizong of Song China, means "establishing a happy medium and cleansing the country", reflecting his idealism towards moderating the rivalry among the conservative and progressive parties on political and social reformation. The very first era name of the Qing was significant because it means "[the Manchus possess] the Mandate of Heaven". Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Emperor Huizong (November 2, 1082 – June 4, 1135) was the eighth and one of the most famous emperors of the Song Dynasty of China, with a personal life spent amidst luxury, sophistication, and art, and ending in tragedy. ... Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favor tradition and gradual change, where tradition refers to religious, cultural, or nationally defined beliefs and customs. ... For other uses, see Progressivism (disambiguation). ... A party is a social gathering intended primarily for celebration and recreation. ... The Qing Dynasty (Manchu: daicing gurun; Chinese: 清朝; pinyin: qīng cháo; Wade-Giles: ching chao), sometimes known as the Manchu Dynasty, was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what is today northeast China expanded into China proper and the surrounding territories of... Mandate of Heaven (天命 PÄ«nyÄ«n: Tiānmìng) was a traditional Chinese sovereignty concept of legitimacy used to support the rule of the kings of the Zhou Dynasty and later the Emperors of China. ...

The process of era name declaration was referred to in traditional Chinese history texts as jianyuan. Declaring a new era name to replace an old one during an emperor's reign was referred to as gaiyuan (改元 gǎi yuán), literally meaning "change the First". This article is about the study of the past in human terms. ...

To name a year using an era name only requires counting years from the first year of the era. For example 138 BC was the third year of Jianyuan (建元), since 140 BC was the first year. When more than one monarch used the same motto, the name of the specific monarch or dynasty has to be mentioned. For instance both Han Wudi and Jin Kangdi picked Jianyuan as their motto. Thus 344 AD was the second year of Jianyuan of the Jin Dynasty (or of Jin Kangdi) whereas 139 BC was the second year of Jianyuan of the Han Dynasty (or of Han Wudi). In traditional literature, one can therefore find references like "the first month of the thirteenth year of Jianyuan" (建元十三年元月). Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC 140s BC - 130s BC - 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC Years: 143 BC 142 BC 141 BC 140 BC 139 BC - 138 BC - 137 BC 136 BC... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC - 140s BC - 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC Years: 145 BC 144 BC 143 BC 142 BC 141 BC - 140 BC - 139 BC 138 BC... For other uses, see Name (disambiguation). ... Format of naming convention in English is under discussion at Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (Chinese) and Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (Chinese)/monarchical titles. ... Events Emperor Mu succeeds Emperor Kang as emperor of China. ... Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC 140s BC - 130s BC - 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC Years: 144 BC 143 BC 142 BC 141 BC 140 BC - 139 BC - 138 BC 137 BC...

Almost all era names have exactly two characters. Notable exceptions are from the non-Han Chinese Western Xia Dynasty (1032 - 1227). Of the 33 Western Xia era names, seven have more than three characters. For example, Language(s) Chinese languages Religion(s) Predominantly Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism, traditional Chinese religions, and atheism. ... See Xia for other meanings of the Chinese character 夏 xià. Western Xia (西夏 pinyin: Xīxià), was a kingdom from 1032 up to 1227 of the Tibetan-speaking Tanguts tribes that was established in the 11th century and flourished through the early 13th century until it was... Events February 2 - Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor, becomes King of Burgundy. ... January 11 first mention of city of Požega in a charter of Andrew II of Hungary March 19 - Pope Gregory IX succeeds Pope Honorius III as the 178th pope. ...

• Tiancilishengguoqing (天賜禮盛國慶 tiān cì lǐ shèng guó qìng) (1070) "Heaven-given ritualistic richness, nationally celebrated"
• Tianshoulifayanzuo (天授禮法延祚 tiān shòu lǐ fǎ yán zuò) (1038) "Heaven-instructed rituals and laws, perpetually blessed"

Before the Ming dynasty, an emperor often changed his era name as often as he liked. The numbering of the year still increases on the first day of the Chinese calendar each year, regardless of the month in which the era name change took place. For example, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang change his era name, Xiantian (先天, pinyin: xiān tiān) to Kaiyuan (开元, pinyin: kāi yuán) in the twelfth (i.e. last) month of the Chinese calendar. The second year of Kaiyuan (开元二年) began on the first day of the next month (i.e. Chinese New Year's Day; January); this made the first year of Kaiyuan (开元元年) consisted of the last few days in the twelfth month following the name change. Events Hereward the Wake begins a Saxon revolt in the Fens of eastern England. ... For other uses, see Heaven (disambiguation). ... Events Independent declaration of Western Xia. ... For other uses, see Law (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ming. ... Emperor Tang Xuanzong (唐玄宗) (September 8, 685 - May 3, 762), born Li Longji (李隆基), was the sixth emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 712 to 756. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. ...

Ming and Qing emperors generally used only one era name during their reign, and it is customary to refer to Ming and Qing emperors by their era names. When an emperor died, his successor would adopted a new era name but the numbering of the new era name would only begin on the next New Year's Day. For example, when the Kangxi Emperor of Qing acceded the throne in 1661, it was a few days after Chinese New Year's Day, so the Shunzhi era continued for the rest of the year, and the first year of Kangxi (康熙元年) would only start on Chinese New Year's Day the following year, in 1662. Exceptions to this are the Taichang Emperor of Ming (being dead after reigning for only one month), Zhengtong Emperor of Ming and Hung Taiji of Qing (both used two era names). For other uses, see Ming. ... Flag (1890-1912) Anthem Gong Jinou (1911) Qing China at its greatest extent. ... For other uses, see Kangxi (disambiguation) The Kangxi Emperor (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kang-hsi; May 4, 1654 – December 20, 1722) was an Emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty,[1] and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from 1661 to 1722. ... 1661 (MDCLXI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Shunzhi Emperor (March 15, 1638–February 5, 1661?) was the second emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper from 1644 to 1661. ... Events February 1 - The Chinese pirate Koxinga seizes the island of Taiwan after a nine-month siege. ... Taichang Emperor Birth and death: Aug. ... Zhu Qizhen (November 29, 1427 – February 23, 1464) was an emperor of the Ming Dynasty. ... Hong Taiji (Chinese: 皇太極; also known as 洪太極 or 黃台吉; sometimes referred to as Abahai), (1592-1643), was Manchu emperor first of the Later Jin dynasty and then, after he changed its name, of the Qing dynasty, reigning from 1626 to 1643. ...

An era name was a symbol of imperial power. Declaration of another era name when one was already in use was regarded as a challenge to the current emperor. The existence of more than one era name at a time often reflected political unrest. In addition, using a particular era name was a political act implying recognition of a sovereign's right to rule, and one issue that traditional Chinese historians faced was which set of era names to use when dating a historical event. For example, when the Yongle Emperor of Ming usurped his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor's throne in 1402, he ordered all records of the four-year-reign of Jianwen Emperor to be dated as year 32 through year 35 of the Hongwu Emperor (the emperor preceding Jianwen Emperor), in order to establish himself as the legitimate successor of the Hongwu Emperor. The Yongle Emperor (May 2, 1360 – August 12, 1424), born Zhu Di (Chu Ti) , was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China from 1402 to 1424. ... The Jianwen Emperor (December 5, 1377–July 13, 1402), with the personal name Zhu Yunwen, reigned as the second Emperor of the Ming dynasty. ... Events September 14 - Battle of Homildon Hill. ... izzy lewis loves the weewee in her pooter. ...

Era names were also employed (under different naming conventions) in other East Asian countries such as Korea, Japan and Vietnam, mostly because of China's cultural influence. They are still used in Japan. The Republic of China Era, used in China from 1912-1949, and still used in Taiwan, marks years as Minguo (i.e. the Republic), which is usually regarded as an era name. On the mainland, era names were abolished with the adoption of the Common Era at the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. East Asia Geographic East Asia. ... Korean era names were used during the period of Silla, Goguryeo, Balhae, Taebong, Goryeo, Joseon, and the Korean Empire. ... A calendar that commemorates the first year of the Republic as well as the election of Sun Yat-sen as the provisional President. ... For the Chinese civilization, see China. ... For the Chinese civilization, see China. ...

The Republic of China Era

An era name could only be declared by the emperor before the Republic of China was established. The Republic of China retains the era system, and uses the name "Republic" (民國) for its official dating. The 1st year of the "Republic Era" was 1912. Therefore, 2006 is "the 95th year of the Republic Era" (民國95年). For the Chinese civilization, see China. ...

Era System vs Western Era System

While that the era system is a more traditional system of dating that preserves Chinese and Japanese culture, it presents a problem for the more globalized Asian society and for everyday life, too.

For example, even though within the nation people will know what era they are in, it is relatively meaningless for other nations. In addition, while the Government of Japan and the Government of the Republic of China only recognize documents dated in the Era System, their treaties with other countries are in the AD (or CE) system. Look up AD, ad-, and ad in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... BCE redirects here. ...

In the domestic arena, the Era system presents difficult dilemmas, too. For example, in Japan, it is difficult to keep track of the age of people who were born in the previous era. Also, since the ROC and Japan have adopted the Gregorian calendar, it is difficult to track down the February 29 leap year, more difficult than its internationalized counterparts. For the calendar of religious holidays and periods, see liturgical year. ... February 29 is a day added into a leap year of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the 1921 film starring Fatty Arbuckle, see Leap Year (film). ...

Furthermore, with the exception of the ROC, it is difficult to mention future dates since it is sometimes difficult to tell whether the current emperor will live long enough for its citizens to use that era name.

On the other hand, others suggest that the AD system has too much Christian connotation behind it and it is cultural imperialism that a European system is forced upon other civilizations. However, with globalization, there is a trend with Japan and the ROC being more acceptable to the AD system.

Modern history researchers do not care about era names except for supporting other arguments, such as figuring out the biases and attitudes of a particular historian; however such mottos are useful for dating events that were unique in Chinese history. Most Chinese dictionaries have a comprehensive list of era names, while booklets of more detailed and often searchable lists can be found in libraries. Chinese dictionaries date back over two millennia to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, which is a significantly longer lexicographical history than any other language. ... Julio Pérez Ferrero Library - Cúcuta, Colombia A modern-style library in Chambéry A library is a collection of information, sources, resources, and services: it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. ...

See also

• Emperor of China
• Chinese calendar
• Table of Chinese monarchs
• Japanese Eras
• Korean Eras

For the volcano in Indonesia, see Emperor of China (volcano). ... The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. ... The following table of Chinese monarchs is in no way inclusive. ... Japanese era name (年号, nengō, lit. ... Korean era names were used during the period of Silla, Goguryeo, Balhae, Taebong, Goryeo, Joseon, and the Korean Empire. ...

External links

• Comparative historical timlines and era names of China, Japan and Korea (in Japanese)