Chongzhen

Chongzhen
Chongzhen
Traditional Chinese	崇禎
Simplified Chinese	崇祯
Literal meaning	"honorable and auspicious"
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Chóngzhēn
Wade–Giles	Ch'ung-chen

Chongzhen (5 February 1628 – 25 April 1644) was the era name of the Chongzhen Emperor, the last emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, and was also the Ming dynasty's final era name. It was used for 17 years.

In 1622 (Tianqi 2), Zhu Youjian was created the Prince of Xin (信王) by his elder brother, the Tianqi Emperor. In 1627 (Tianqi 7), his elder brother, the Tianqi Emperor, died, and Zhu Youjian ascended to the throne. The era names proposed by the cabinet are "Qiansheng" (乾聖), "Xingfu" (興福), "Xianjia" (咸嘉), and "Chongzhen" (崇貞), for Zhu Youjian circle to choose from. Zhu Youjian circled "Chongzhen" (崇貞) and changed "貞" to "禎".^[1] According to one statement, the four era names presented are "Yongchang" (永昌), "Shaoqing" (紹慶), "Xianning" (咸寧) and "Chongzhen" (崇貞).^[2] The era was changed to Chongzhen in the following year (1628).

On February 1644 (Chongzhen 17, 2nd month), Li Zicheng established the Shun dynasty in Xi'an, Shaanxi, with the era name "Yongchang" (永昌). On 25 April 1644 (19th day of the 3rd month), the Shun army captured Beijing, the capital of the Ming dynasty. The Chongzhen Emperor hanged himself in Meishan, Beijing (present-day Jingshan, Beijing), and the Ming dynasty fell. After hearing the news, Zhu Yousong, Prince of Fu, ascended the throne in Nanjing, the temporary capital, on 19 June of the same year (15th day of the 5th month), as the Hongguang Emperor, and established the Southern Ming regime. He continued to use the Chongzhen era name until the end of New Year's Eve of 1644 (Chongzhen 17), and the era was changed to Hongguang in the following year.^[3]

Change of era

5 February 1628 (Tianqi 8, 1st day of the 1st month): The era was changed to Chongzhen 1 (崇禎元年, Chóngzhēn yuánnián, "the first year of the Chongzhen era").

28 January 1645 (Chongzhen 18, 1st day of the 1st month): The era was changed to Hongguang 1 (弘光元年, Hóngguāng yuánnián, " the first year of the Hongguang era").

Comparison table

Chongzhen	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
AD	1628	1629	1630	1631	1632	1633	1634	1635	1636	1637
Gānzhī 干支	Wùchén 戊辰	Jǐsì 己巳	Gēngwǔ 庚午	Xīnwèi 辛未	Rénshēn 壬申	Guǐyǒu 癸酉	Jiǎxū 甲戌	Yǐhài 乙亥	Bǐngzǐ 丙子	Dīngchǒu 丁丑
Chongzhen	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
AD	1638	1639	1640	1641	1642	1643	1644
Gānzhī 干支	Wùyín 戊寅	Jǐmǎo 己卯	Gēngchén 庚辰	Xīnsì 辛巳	Rénwǔ 壬午	Guǐwèi 癸未	Jiǎshēn 甲申

Chongzhen Era

After the fall of the Ming dynasty, the Joseon scholars, due to anti-Qing sentiment and Little China ideology, still used the Chongzhen era name in their country. For example, "the second Jiashen year of the seventy-seventh year of the Chongzhen era" (崇禎七十七年歲次甲申, 1704),^[4] "the eighty-third year after the Chongzhen Era" (崇禎紀元後八十三年, 1710),^[5] "the Gengzi year of the ninety-third year of the Chongzhen Era" (崇禎紀元九十三年庚子, 1720),^[6] "the re-Guichou year after the Chongzhen era" (崇禎後再癸丑, 1733),^[7] "the fourth Yichou year after the Chongzhen Era" (崇禎紀元後四乙丑, 1865),^[8] "the fifth Bingxu year after the Chongzhen Era" (崇禎紀元後五丙戌, 1886),^[9] "the two hundred and sixty-fifth year of the Chongzhen era" (崇禎二百六十五年, 1892),^[10] or "the fifth Jiayin year after the Chongzhen era" (崇禎後五甲寅, 1914),^[11] etc. This is known as the "Chongzhen Era" (崇禎紀元).

Other regime era names that existed during the same period

China
- Tiancong (天聰, 1627–1636): Later Jin — era name of Hong Taiji
- Chongde (崇德, 1636–1643): Qing dynasty — era name of Hong Taiji
- Shunzhi (順治, 1644–1661): Qing dynasty — era name of the Shunzhi Emperor
- Ruiying (瑞應, 1621–1629): Ming period — era name of She Chongming (奢崇明)
- Yongxing (永興, 1628): Ming period — era name of Zhang Weiyuan (張惟元)
- Tianyun (天運, 1637): Ming period — era name of Zhang Puwei (張普徽)
- Tianding (天定, 1644): Ming period — era name of Liu Shoufen (劉守分)
- Chongxing (重興, 1644): Ming period — era name of Qin Shangxing (秦尚行)
- Xingwu (興武, 1635–1636): Ming period — era name of Gao Yingxiang (高迎祥)
- Yongchang (永昌, 1644–1645): Shun dynasty — era name of Li Zicheng
- Yiwu (義武, 1643–1644): Xi dynasty — era name of Zhang Xianzhong
- Dashun (大順, 1644–1646): Xi dynasty — era name of Zhang Xianzhong
Vietnam
- Vĩnh Tộ (永祚, 1619–1629): Later Lê dynasty — era name of Lê Thần Tông
- Đức Long (德隆, 1629–1635): Later Lê dynasty — era name of Lê Thần Tông
- Dương Hòa (陽和, 1635–1643): Later Lê dynasty — era name of Lê Thần Tông
- Phúc Thái (福泰, 1643–1649): Later Lê dynasty — era name of Lê Chân Tông
- Long Thái (隆泰, 1618–1625): Mạc dynasty — era name of Mạc Kính Khoan
- Thuận Đức (順德, 1638–1677): Mạc dynasty — era name of Mạc Kính Vũ
Japan
- Kan'ei (寛永, 1624–1644): era name of Emperor Go-Mizunoo, Empress Meishō and Emperor Go-Kōmyō
- Shōhō (正保, 1644–1648): era name of Emperor Go-Kōmyō

References

^ Sun Chengze (孫承澤)：Siling dianli ji (思陵典禮記)
^ Wen Bing (文秉)：Lie huang xiao shi (烈皇小識)
^ Qian Haiyue (錢海岳). History of Southern Ming, Volume 1：「〔崇禎十七年五月〕壬寅，王即皇帝位於武英殿。詔曰：『……以其明年為弘光元年，與民更始，大赦天下。……』」
^ Veritable Records of Sukjong of the Joseon Dynasty (朝鮮肅宗大王實錄), Volume 39：「（三十年三月）戊午，上自宜春門詣禁苑壇，以大牢祭崇禎皇帝。其文曰：『崇禎七十七年歲次甲申三月庚子朔十九日戊午……』」
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^ 金昌集《夢窩集》卷三〈塤篪錄序〉。
^ "Harvard Mirador Viewer". iiif.lib.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-01-16. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
^ "金澤大学所藏／近代教育掛圖 0433 有明朝鮮兩王子紀蹟碑拓本". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
^ 復旦大學所藏朝鮮文獻《駱村朴先生遺稿》（編號AB096506-08）。
^ "小史使用了二百多年的年號-崇禎". Archived from the original on 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
^ 首爾大學奎章閣所藏《天臺續游錄》（編號奎古565-1）。