Chinese sovereign

How to refer to a specific sovereign in a dynasty or kingdom

All sovereigns are referring as a string of Chinese characters. I'll use

1) 'Han' Gao Zu Liu Bang ('漢' 高祖 劉邦) 2) 'Tang' Tai Zong Li Shi Min ('唐' 太宗 李世民) 3) 'Wei' Wu Di Cao Cao ('魏' 武帝 曹操) 4) 'Hou Han' Gao Zu Liu Zhi Yuan ('後漢' 高祖 劉知遠)

as examples.

The first character(s) are the name of the dynasty or kingdom. e.g. 'Han', 'Tang', 'Wei' and 'Hou Han'.

Then come the characters of how he or she are commonly called, in most of the times the posthumous names or the temple names. e.g. Gao Zu, Tai Zong, Wu Di

Then follow the character(s) of their personal names. e.g. Liu Bang, Li Shi Min, Cao Cao, Liu Zhi Yuan and Liu Zhi Yuan

All sovereigns starting from the Tang Dynasty are referred contemporily using the temple names. They also had posthumous names but less used unless in the traditional historical texts. Reversed situation before Tang when posthumous names are used contemporily.

e.g. The posthumous name of 'Tang' Tai Zong Li Shi Min was Wen Di (文帝)

If sovereigns after Tang were referenced using posthumous names, they were the last ones of their sovereignties and their rule were short and unpopular.

e.g. 'Tang' Ai Di Li Zhu (唐哀帝李柷), last emperor of the Tang Dynasty, reigned from 904 to 907.

e.g.

the Han Dynasty Sovereigns

Posthumous Names ( Shi Hao 諡號) and (how the sovereigns are referred)	Personal Names	Period of Reigns	Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their according range of years
the Western Han Dynasty 206 B.C.-9
Gao Zu (Han Gao Zu 漢高祖)	Liu Bang	206 B.C.-195 B.C.	Did not exist
Hui Di (Han Hui Di 漢惠帝)	Liu Ying	194 B.C.-188 B.C.	Did not exist
Gao Hou (Luu Hou 呂后)	Luu Zhi	187 B.C.-180 B.C.	Did not exist
Wen Di (Han Wen Di 漢文帝)	Liu Heng	179 B.C.-157 B.C.	Houyuan (後元) 163 B.C.-156 B.C.
Jing Di (Han Jing Di 漢景帝)	Liu Qi	156 B.C.-141 B.C.	Chngyuan (中元) 149 B.C.-143 B.C. Houyuan (後元) 143 B.C.-141 B.C.
Wu Di	Liu Che	140 B.C.- 87 B.C.	Jianyuan (建元) 140 B.C.-135 B.C. Yuanguang(元光) 134 B.C.-129 B.C. Yuanshuo (元朔) 128 B.C.-123 B.C. Yuanshou (元狩) 122 B.C.-117 B.C. Yuanding (元鼎) 116 B.C.-111 B.C. Yuanfeng (元封) 110 B.C.-105 B.C. Taichu (太初) 104 B.C.-101 B.C. Tianhan (天漢) 100 B.C.-97 B.C. Taishi (太始) 96 B.C.-93 B.C. Zhenghe (征和) 92 B.C.-89 B.C. Houyuan (後元) 88 B.C.-87 B.C.
Zhao Di	Liu Fu Ling	86 B.C.- 74 B.C.	Shiyuan (始元) 86 B.C.-81 B.C. Yuanfen (元鳳) 80 B.C.-75 B.C. Yuanping(元平) 74 B.C.
Xuan Di	Liu Xun	73 B.C.- 49 B.C.	Benshi (本始) 73 B.C.-70 B.C. Dijie (地節) 69 B.C.-66 B.C. Yuankang (元康) 65 B.C.-62 B.C. Shenjue (神爵) 61 B.C.-58 B.C. Wufeng (五鳳) 57 B.C.-54 B.C. Ganlu (甘露) 53 B.C.-50 B.C. Huanglong (黃龍) 49 B.C.
Yuan Di	Liu Shi	48 B.C.- 33 B.C.	Chuyuan (初元) 48 B.C.-44 B.C. Yongguang (永光) 43 B.C.-39 B.C. Jianzhao (建昭) 38 B.C.-34 B.C. Jingning (竟寧) 33 B.C.
Cheng Di	Liu Ao	32 B.C.-7 B.C.	Jianshi (建始) 32 B.C.-29 B.C. Heping (河平) 28 B.C.-25 B.C. Yangshuo(陽朔) 24 B.C.-21 B.C. Hongjia (鴻嘉) 20 B.C.-17 B.C. Yongshi (永始) 16 B.C.-13 B.C. Yuanyan (元延) 12 B.C.-9 B.C. Suihe (綏和) 9 B.C.-7 B.C.
Ai Di	Liu Xin	6 B.C.-1 B.C.	Jianping (建平) 6 B.C.-3 B.C. Yuanshou (元壽) 2 B.C.-1 B.C.
Ping Di	Liu Kan	1-5	Yuanshi (元始) 1-5
Ru Zi Ying	Liu Ying	6-8	Jushe (居攝) 6- October 8 Chushi (初始) November 8-December 8
the Xin Dynasty by Wang Mang		9-23	Shijianguo (始建國) 9- 13 Tianfeng (天鳳) 14-19 Dihuang (地皇) 20-23
Geng Shi Di	Liu Xuan	23-25	Gengshi (更始) 23-25
the Eastern Han Dynasty 25 AD - 220 AD
Guang Wu Di	Liu Xiu	25-57	Jianwu (建武) 25-56 Jianwuzhongyuan (建武中元) 56-57

List of the Ming Emperors:

• call sign of emporer, original name, (name of era, range of year)
• 明太祖 朱元璋 (洪武 1368-1398)
• 明惠帝 朱允炆 (建文 1399-1402)
• 明成祖 朱棣 (永樂 1403-1424)
• 明仁宗 朱高熾 (洪熙 1425)
• 明宣宗 朱瞻基 (宣德 1426-1435)
• 明英宗 朱祁鎮 (正統 1436-1449)
• 明景帝 朱祁鈺 (景泰 1450-1456)
• 明英宗 朱祁鎮 (天順 1457-1464) A rerun, same person as in 1436-1449
• 明憲宗 朱見深 (成化 1465-1487)
• 明孝宗 朱祐樘 (弘治 1488-1505)
• 明武宗 朱厚照 (正德 1506-1521)
• 明世宗 朱厚熜 (嘉靖 1522-1566)
• 明穆宗 朱栽垢 (隆慶 1567-1572)
• 明神宗 朱翊鈞 (萬歷 1573-1620)
• 明光宗 朱常洛 (泰昌 1620)
• 明熹宗 朱由校 (天啟 1621-1627)
• 明思宗 朱由檢 (崇禎 1628-1644)