Editing Chinese sovereign (section)

==Sovereign titles==
{{multiple images|perrow=1
|image1= Pre-Qing Ancient Imperial Chinese Banner.webp|
|image2= Imperial Encyclopaedia - Military Administration - pic155 - 太常圖.svg
|footer=The Great Chang banner (大常/太常), also known as Banner of Celestial Bodies (辰旒), the highest ranking banner reserved for monarchs per [[Rites of Zhou]].<ref>{{cite |title= 通典 |chapter=25|url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E9%80%9A%E5%85%B8/%E5%8D%B7025|quote=顏師古曰：「太常者，王之旌也，畫日月焉。王者有大事則建以行，禮官主奉持之，故曰奉常，後改為太，尊大之義也。」}}</ref><ref>{{cite |title= 周禮 |chapter=春官宗伯—司常之職|url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%91%A8%E7%A6%AE/%E6%98%A5%E5%AE%98%E5%AE%97%E4%BC%AF|quote=旗物：王建大常，諸侯建旗，孤卿建旃，大夫、士建物，師都建旗，州里建旟，縣鄙建旐，道車載旞，斿車載旌。」}}</ref>}}
===Emperor===
{{main|Emperor of China}}
The characters ''Huang'' (皇 huáng "august (ruler)") and ''Di'' (帝 dì "divine ruler") had been used separately and never consecutively (see [[Three August Ones and Five Emperors]]).  The character was reserved for [[Chinese mythology|mythological rulers]] until the first emperor of Qin ([[Qin Shi Huang]]), who created a new title ''Huangdi'' (皇帝 in [[pinyin]]: huáng dì) for himself in 221&nbsp;BCE, which is commonly translated as ''[[Emperor of China|Emperor]]'' in English.  This title continued in use until the fall of the [[Qing dynasty]] in 1912.

From the [[Han dynasty]], the title ''Huangdi'' could also be [[abbreviated]] to ''huang'' or ''di''.  The former nobility titles ''Qing'' (卿), ''Daifu'' (大夫) and ''Shi'' (仕) became [[synonym]]s for court officials.

The power of the emperor varied between emperors and dynasties, with some emperors being absolute rulers and others being figureheads with actual power lying in the hands of court factions, [[eunuch]]s, the bureaucracy or noble families. In principle, the title of emperor was transmitted from father to son via [[primogeniture]], as endorsed by [[Confucianism]]. However, there are many exceptions to this rule. For example, because the Emperor usually had many concubines, the first born of the empress (i.e. the chief consort) is usually the [[heir apparent]]. However, Emperors could elevate another more favoured child or the child of a favourite [[concubine]] to the status of [[Crown Prince]]. Disputes over succession occurred regularly and have led to a number of civil wars. In the [[Qing dynasty]], primogeniture was abandoned altogether, with the designated heir kept secret until after the Emperor's death.

Of the [[San Huang Wu Di]], the three first of them were called 皇 (huang, "august (ruler)") and the five last were called 帝 (di, "divine ruler"), which can translate as either emperor, demigod, divine ancestor, or superhuman. This title may have been used in the Shang and Xia dynasties, though oracle bones were found from the Shang dynasty showing the title 王 (wáng, "king").

===King===
The '''king''' (王, ''wáng'') was the [[China|Chinese]] [[head of state]] during the [[Zhou dynasty]]. Its use during the [[Xia dynasty|Xia]] and [[Shang dynasty|Shang]] is uncertain but possible: the character has been found upon [[oracle bone]]s. It was abolished under the [[Qin dynasty|Qin]] and, after that, the same term was used for (and translated as) royal '''princes'''. The title was commonly given to members of the Emperor's family and could be inherited.  A poem from about 2,500 years ago said "普天之下,莫非王土.率土之賓,莫非王臣" which roughly translates as "Under the sky, nothing isn't the king's land;  the people who lead the lands, no one isn't the king's subjects."

===Son of Heaven===
{{main|Son of Heaven}}

"Son of Heaven" was a title of the Emperor based on the [[Mandate of Heaven]]. The Son of Heaven is a universal emperor who rules [[tianxia]] comprising "all under heaven".{{sfn|Ebrey|2010|p=179}} The title was not interpreted literally. The monarch is a mortal chosen by Heaven, not its actual descendant.{{sfn|Dull|1990|p=59}} The title comes from the Mandate of Heaven, created by the monarchs of the [[Zhou dynasty]] to justify deposing the [[Shang dynasty]]. They declared that Heaven had revoked the mandate from the Shang and given it to the Zhou in retaliation for their corruption and misrule. Heaven bestowed the mandate to whoever was best fit to rule. The title held the emperor responsible for the prosperity and security of his people through the threat of losing the mandate.{{sfn|Dull|1990|p=59}}

Unlike with over sovereigns such as the [[Emperor of Japan]], Chinese political theory allowed for dynastic change, based on the concept of the [[Mandate of Heaven]]. The theory behind this was that the Chinese emperor acted as the [[Son of Heaven]]. As the only legitimate ruler, his authority extended to "[[all under heaven]]" and had neighbors only in a geographical sense. He holds a mandate to which he had a valid claim to rule over (or to lead) everyone else in the world as long as he served the people well. If the ruler became immoral, then rebellion is justified and heaven would take away that mandate and give it to another. This single most important concept legitimized the dynastic cycle or the change of dynasties regardless of social or ethnic background. This principle made it possible for dynasties founded by families of non-noble origins such as the [[Han dynasty]] and the [[Ming dynasty]] or non-ethnic Han dynasties such as the Mongol-led [[Yuan dynasty]] and the Manchu-led [[Qing dynasty]]. It was moral integrity and benevolent leadership that determined the holder of the Mandate of Heaven. Every dynasty that self-consciously adopted this administrative practice powerfully reinforced this [[Sinocentric]] concept throughout the history of imperial China. Historians noted that this was one of the key reasons why imperial China in many ways had the most efficient system of government in ancient times.

It was generally not possible for a woman to succeed to the throne and in the history of China; there has only been one reigning Empress, [[Wu Zetian]] (624–705), who usurped the throne of the [[Tang dynasty]] by establishing her own [[Wu Zhou]] dynasty.