The Great Emperor of the Curved Array). ( zh, c=勾陳大帝, p= gōuchén dàdì), also called the Gouchen Emperor and Tianhuang Emperor, is one of the highest sky deities of

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

. He is one of the Four Sovereigns (; ) and is in charge of heaven, earth, and human and of wars in the human world.

Chinese mythology

The "Curved Array" is a constellation in the

Purple Forbidden enclosure The Purple Forbidden enclosure ( Zǐ wēi yuán) is one of the San Yuan ( Sān yuán) or Three Enclosures. Stars and constellations of this group lie near the north celestial pole and are visible all year from temperate latitudes in the Northern ...

, equivalent to the European constellation called ''

Ursa Minor Ursa Minor (, contrasting with Ursa Major), also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation located in the far northern celestial hemisphere, northern sky. As with the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of ...

'' or the ''

Little Dipper Ursa Minor (, contrasting with Ursa Major), also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation located in the far northern sky. As with the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, hence the North Amer ...

''. In Taoism, the Great Emperor of Curved Array is the eldest son of

Doumu Dǒumǔ (), also known as , and , is a goddess in Chinese religion and Taoism. She is also named through the honorific Tiānhòu ( "Queen of Heaven"), shared with other Chinese goddesses, especially Mazu, who are perhaps conceived as her aspect ...

and the brother of the

Ziwei Emperor The Great Emperor of the North Star,). also called the Ziwei Emperor. and the Beiji Emperor,; full title: Lord of the Polaris, North Pole at the center of Heaven ( zh, c=北極中天星主, p=Běijí Zhōngtiān Xingzhu). is one of the highest ...

History

Emperor Gaozong of Tang Emperor Gaozong of Tang (21 July 628 – 27 December 683), personal name Li Zhi, was the third Emperor of China, emperor of the Chinese Tang dynasty, ruling from 649 to 683; after January 665, he handed power over the empire to his second wife ...

was called by the title Emperor Tianhuang as his

Posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary Personal name, name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian cultural sphere, East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. ...

given by

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...

. Liu Yan was also given the posthumous name.

Constellation

There is a constellation named after the Tianhuang Emperor.

Notes

References

External links