Temple name

The "temple" in "temple name" (廟號) refers to the grand temples (太廟) built by each dynasty for the purpose of ancestor worship. The temple name of each monarch was recorded on their respective ancestral tablet placed within the grand temple. HistoryTemple names trace their origins to the Shang dynasty of China. In earlier times, temple names were exclusively assigned to competent rulers after their death. The temple name system established during the Shang period utilized only four adjectives: 太 (tài; "grand"): honored to dynastic founders;高 (gāo; "high"): honored to monarchs with great achievements;世 (shì; "eternal"): honored to rulers deemed worthy of eternal remembrance; and中 (zhōng; "resurgent"): honored to sovereigns who revitalized their realm following a period of decline.Chinese monarchs of the Zhou dynasty were given posthumous names but not temple names. During the Qin dynasty, the practices both of assigning temple names and posthumous names was abandoned. The Han dynasty reintroduced both titles, although temple names were assigned sporadically and remained more exclusive than posthumous names. It was also during the Han era that other adjectives asid