Yan Emperor
Yan Emperor of Ancient China | |
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炎帝 | |
Details | |
First monarch | Shennong |
Last monarch | Yuwang |
Formation | Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors |
Abolition | Battle of Banquan |
Yan Emperor | ||
---|---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin Yándì | | |
Wade–Giles | Yen-ti | |
Yue: Cantonese | ||
Jyutping | Yim4 Dai3 |
The Yan Emperor (
A long debate has existed over whether or not the Yan Emperor was the same person as the legendary Shennong. An academic conference held in China in 2004 achieved general consensus that the Yan Emperor and Shennong were the same person.[2] Another possibility is that the term "flame emperor" was a title, held by dynastic succession of tribal lords, with Shennong being known as Yandi perhaps posthumously. Accordingly, the term "flame emperors" would be generally more correct. The succession of these flame emperors, from Shennong, the first Yan Emperor, until the time of the last Yan Emperor's defeat by the Yellow Emperor, may have been some 500 years.[3]
Historical records
No written records are known to exist from the era of Yan Emperor's reign. However, he and Shennong are mentioned in many of the classic works of ancient China. Yan literally means "flame", implying that Yan Emperor's people possibly uphold a symbol of fire as their tribal
Downfall
The last Yan Emperor,
The Yan Emperor, retreating from a recent invasion from the forces of Chiyou, came into territorial conflict with its neighbouring Youxiong tribes, led by the Yellow Emperor. The Yan Emperor was defeated after three successive battles and surrendered to the Yellow Emperor, who assumed the title of overlord (共主) and agreed to merge the two tribes into a new confederation — the Yanhuang tribe. Under the Yellow Emperor's leadership, the newly combined tribes then went to war and defeated Chiyou in the Battle of Zhuolu, and established their cultural and political dominance in China proper.
Historicity
Since the
In traditional culture
Both Huangdi and Yandi are considered in some sense ancestral to Chinese culture and people. Also, the tradition of associating a certain color with a particular dynasty may have begun with the Flame Emperors. According to the Five Elements, or Wu Xing model, red, fire, should be succeeded by yellow, earth—or Yandi by Huangdi.[8]
According to the records of ancient history books such as The "Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư", the earliest monarch of Vietnam, Hồng Bàng, was a descendant of Emperor Yan. Because of it, all the ancient Vietnamese dynasties regarded Emperor Yan as their common ancestor.
List of Flame Emperors
This is the most common list given by Huangfu Mi, Xu Zheng, and Sima Zhen:
Name | Notes |
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Shennong 神農 | Born Jiang Shinian 姜石年 |
Linkui 臨魁 | |
Cheng 承 | |
Ming 明 | Considered father of Loc Tuc in Vietnamese mythography
|
Zhi 直 | |
Li 釐 or Ke 克 | Sima Zhen puts Ke between Ai and Yuwang |
Ai 哀 | Considered father of Au Co in Vietnamese mythography
|
Yuwang 榆罔 | Defeated by Yellow Emperor at Banquan |
List provided at the end of the
Name | Notes |
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Yandi 炎帝 | |
Yanju 炎居 | Also possibly known as Zhu 柱 |
Jiebing 節並 | |
Xiqi 戲器 | |
Zhurong 祝融 | |
Gonggong 共工 | |
Shuqi 術器 | |
Houtu 后土 | Brother of Shuqi |
Yeming 噎鳴 | Son of Houtu |
Suishi 歳十 |
Popular Culture
- Edelgard von Hresvelg, a major character in Fire Emblem: Three Houses who uses the "Flame Emperor" name as an epithet.[9]
See also
- Descendants of Yan & Huang Emperors
- Emperors Yan and Huang (monument)
- Huaxia
- Shennong
- Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
- Yao Grass
- Yellow Emperor
- Zhonghua Minzu
References
Citations
- ^ He Wandan 贺晚旦 and Yang Hongbao 杨红保, in Wang & Meng (2005, pp. 3–4).
- ^ Yang Dongchen 杨东晨, in Wang & Meng (2005, p. 15).
- ^ Wu (1982, p. 56)
- ^ Wu 1982, p. 56.
- ^ Wu 1982, p. 56, note 26, referencing Xu Shen.
- ^ Chinese: 《左轉·左丘明》: "昭公十七年:炎帝氏以火紀,故為火師而火名。"
- ^ Various (1991). Chinese America: History and Perspectives 1991. Chinese Historical Society. p. 64. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
- ^ Wu 1982, pp. 56–57.
- ^ "'Fire Emblem: Three Houses' Sees the Value, and Complexity, of Political Revolution". 29 August 2019.
Sources
- Wang Shuxin (王树新); Meng Shikai (孟世凯), eds. (2005). Yan Di Wen Hua 炎帝文化. Beijing: ISBN 7-101-04854-4.
- Wu, K. C. (1982). The Chinese Heritage. New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 0-517-54475-X.
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