皇帝

Chinese

		emperor; surname	emperor
simp. and trad. (皇帝)		皇	帝
anagram		帝皇

Etymology

After a series of conquests ending in 221 BCE, created as a title for King Zheng of Qin, who was styled Qin Shi Huangdi (literally “the First Emperor of the Qin dynasty”). The two component characters were originally the titles of the mythological rulers or deities known as the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (三皇五帝 (Sānhuáng Wǔdì)).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): huángdì

(Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄉㄧˋ

(Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): huang² di⁴

(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): хуонди (huondi, I-I)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): wong⁴ dai³

(Taishan, Wiktionary): vong³ ai¹
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): fòng-ti / fòng-thi

(Hailu, HRS): fong di^ˇ
Eastern Min (BUC): huòng-dá̤
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): horng² de⁴
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): hông-tè

(Teochew, Peng'im): huang⁵ di³
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶waon-ti₅

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: huángdì
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄉㄧˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: huángdì
  - Wade–Giles: huang²-ti⁴
  - Yale: hwáng-dì
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hwangdih
  - Palladius: хуанди (xuandi)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ ti⁵¹/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    皇帝
    黃帝 / 黄帝
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: huang² di⁴
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: xuongdi
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xuaŋ²¹ ti²¹³/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: хуонди (huondi, I-I)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xuɑŋ²⁴ ti²⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: wong⁴ dai³
  - Yale: wòhng dai
  - Cantonese Pinyin: wong⁴ dai³
  - Guangdong Romanization: wong⁴ dei³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɔːŋ²¹ tɐi̯³³/
  - Homophones:
    ^edit
    ^edit
    皇帝
    黃帝 / 黄帝
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: vong³ ai¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /vɔŋ²² ai³³/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fòng-ti
  - Hakka Romanization System: fong^ˇ di
  - Hagfa Pinyim: fong² di⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /foŋ¹¹ ti⁵⁵/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fòng-thi
  - Hakka Romanization System: fong^ˇ ti
  - Hagfa Pinyim: fong² ti⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /foŋ¹¹ tʰi⁵⁵/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: fong di^ˇ
  - Sinological IPA: /foŋ⁵⁵ ti¹¹/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: huòng-dá̤
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /huoŋ⁵³⁻²¹ ^(t-)nɑ²¹³/
Puxian Min
- (Putian)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: horng² de⁴ [Phonetic: horng¹ ne⁴]
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: hó̤ng-da̤̍
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɒŋ¹³⁻⁵⁵ ^(t-)ne⁴²/
- (Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: horng² de⁴ [Phonetic: horng¹ ne⁴]
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɒŋ²⁴⁻⁵⁵ ^(t-)ne⁴²/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hông-tè
  - Tâi-lô: hông-tè
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hongdex
  - IPA (Xiamen): /hɔŋ²⁴⁻²² te²¹/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /hɔŋ²⁴⁻²² te⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /hɔŋ¹³⁻²² te²¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /hɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ te¹¹/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /hɔŋ²³⁻³³ te²¹/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: huang⁵ di³
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: huâng tì
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /huaŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ ti²¹³/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶waon-ti₅
  - MiniDict: waon^去 ti^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³hhuaan-ti₂
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦuɑ̃²² ti⁴⁴/

Middle Chinese: hwang tejH

Rime
Character	皇	帝
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	端 (5)
Final (韻)	唐 (102)	齊 (39)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	I	IV
Fanqie	胡光切	都計切
Baxter	hwang	tejH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦwɑŋ/	/tei^H/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷɑŋ/	/tei^H/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣuɑŋ/	/tɛi^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦwaŋ/	/tɛj^H/
Li Rong	/ɣuɑŋ/	/tei^H/
Wang Li	/ɣuɑŋ/	/tiei^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɣwɑŋ/	/tiei^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	huáng	dì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wong⁴	dai³

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[ɢ]ʷˤaŋ tˤek-s/

(Zhengzhang): /*ɡʷaːŋ teːɡs/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	皇	帝
Reading #	2/2	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	huáng	dì
Middle Chinese	‹ hwang ›	‹ tej^H ›
Old Chinese	/*[ɢ]ʷˁaŋ/	/*tˁek-s/
English	sovereign	God
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	皇	帝
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	12696	2313
Phonetic component	王	帝
Rime group	陽	賜
Rime subdivision	0	0
Corresponding MC rime	黃	帝
Old Chinese	/*ɡʷaːŋ/	/*teːɡs/
Notes	禮王制鄭注冕屬，金文象羽冠，王聲；或雲象日射輝則爲暀晃初文	甲金文象根啇非朿聲

Noun

皇帝

emperor (any monarch ruling an empire, irrespective of gender)
輔佐皇帝／辅佐皇帝 ― fǔzuǒ huángdì ― to assist an emperor
(tarot) the Emperor

Synonyms

edit

乘輿 / 乘舆 (literary, figurative)
人主 (rénzhǔ) (literary)
人君 (rénjūn) (literary)
人王 (rénwáng)
元首 (yuánshǒu)
君上 (jūnshàng) (literary)
君主 (jūnzhǔ)
君父 (jūnfù) (literary)
君王 (jūnwáng)
國君 / 国君 (guójūn)
國家 / 国家 (guójiā) (Classical Chinese)
大聖 / 大圣 (dàshèng) (literary)
大駕 / 大驾 (dàjià)
天子 (tiānzǐ) (Son of Heaven)
官家 (guānjiā) (archaic)
帝王 (dìwáng)
皇辟 (huángbì) (archaic, Son of Heaven)

Derived terms

乞食身，皇帝喙
兒皇帝 / 儿皇帝
吃飯皇帝大 / 吃饭皇帝大
土皇帝 (tǔhuángdì)
天高皇帝遠 / 天高皇帝远 (tiān gāo huángdì yuǎn)
小皇帝 (xiǎohuángdì)
尻川後罵皇帝 / 尻川后骂皇帝
山高皇帝遠 / 山高皇帝远 (shān gāo huángdì yuǎn)
末代皇帝
死皇帝毋值得活乞食
皇帝不差餓兵 / 皇帝不差饿兵
皇帝不急，急死太監 / 皇帝不急，急死太监 (huángdì bùjí, jísǐ tàijiàn)
皇帝喙
皇帝菜 (huángdìcài)
皇帝蟹 (huángdìxiè)
皇帝豆 (huángdìdòu)
皇帝輪流做，明年到我家 / 皇帝轮流做，明年到我家
臭頭仔嘛會做皇帝，做總統你嘛有機會 / 臭头仔嘛会做皇帝，做总统你嘛有机会
食飯皇帝大 / 食饭皇帝大

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (皇帝):

→ Japanese: 皇(こう)帝(てい) (kōtei)
→ Korean: 황제(皇帝) (hwangje)
→ Vietnamese: hoàng đế (皇帝)

Others:

→ Amis: hongti (via Hokkien)
→ Classical Mongolian: ᠬᠤᠸᠠᠩᠳᠢ (quwangdi), ᠬᠤᠸᠠᠩᠳᠠᠢ (quwangdai) (via Mandarin)
- Mongolian:
  Mongolian script: ᠬᠤᠸᠠᠩᠳᠢ (quwangdi)
  
  Cyrillic script: хуанди (xuandi)
- → Buryat: хуандии (xuandii)
→ Khitan: 皇帝 (via Middle Chinese)
→ Manchu: ᡥᡡᠸᠠᠩᡩᡳ (hūwangdi) (via Mandarin)
→ Sakizaya: hungti (via Hokkien)
→ Thai: ฮ่องเต้ (hɔ̂ng-dtêe) (via Hokkien)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
皇	帝
こう Grade: 6	てい Grade: S
kan'on

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 皇帝 (hwang tej^H). See also 三皇五帝 (Sankō Gotei) and 始皇帝 (Shikōtei).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) こーてー [kòótéé] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
IPA^(key): [ko̞ːte̞ː]

Noun

皇(こう)帝(てい) • (kōtei) ^{←くわうてい (kwautei)^?}

emperor (of a country other than Japan)
East Asian empress regnant
則(そく)天(てん)大(たい)聖(せい)皇(こう)帝(てい)
Sokuten Taisei Kōtei
Great Sage Empress Zetian
(tarot) the Emperor

Usage notes

天(てん)皇(のう) (tennō) is generally used exclusively to refer to the Emperor of Japan, while 皇(こう)帝(てい) (kōtei) is generally used exclusively to refer to emperors of other countries.
An East Asian empress regnant has the same title as an emperor, not specifically "empress (regnant)" like in European languages. Similarly, a queen regnant has the same title as an emperor.

References

^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Khitan

Etymology

Orthographic borrowing from Middle Chinese 皇帝 (MC hwang tejH).

Noun

皇帝 (transliteration needed)

emperor
- 1081, 《多羅里本郎君墓誌碑》 [Memorial for Lord Dorlipun]:
  皇帝[⿱火日][⿰𤣩⿱⿻𠃊丨又]弃[⿻一⿵冂仌]囯[⿱火日][⿱干艹][⿻⿻二丨从]
  皇帝之時於丹國之宰相
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)

References

Cong, Yanshuang; Liu, Fengzhu; Chi, Jianxue (叢艷雙，劉鳳翥，池建學) (2005). 契丹大字《多羅里本郎君墓志銘》考釋 (A Textual Research and Explanation on the Inscription for Duoluoliben in Big Qidan Script). 《民族語文》 (Minority Languages of China), issue 4, page 54.

Korean

Hanja in this term
皇	帝

Noun

皇帝 • (hwangje) (hangeul 황제)

hanja form^? of 황제 (“emperor”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
皇	帝

Noun

皇帝

chữ Hán form of hoàng đế (“emperor”)

[DJR-1] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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