A Study of the Era Names of Chinese Dynasties

Author: Li Chongzhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: This book was first published in 1981, and the second printing in 1985 included 20 additional corrections and supplements. Due to the limitations of the time, the first edition was printed in simplified characters. In this revision, following the principle of "let the master speak," the era names are recorded as they appear in historical records and artifacts, while the era names of some ethnic minority languages in unearthed documents adopt the Chinese translations recognized by scholars. To maintain uniformity in font style, the annotations and other descriptive texts have also been changed to traditional characters. The revised edition adds ten era names: Chengyang, Taiyuan, and Jianping of Northern Liang; Jianchu, Chengping, and Yixi of Gaochang; and Tianzun, Zhongxing, Tianxing, and Tianshou of Yuquan. Additionally, some annotations have been newly added or rewritten, primarily incorporating new research findings by historians and supplementing or replacing some of the original examination materials. Three entries with coin evidence but unknown era names have been removed. Errors in the first edition have been corrected, and the original supplementary notes and some appendices have been integrated into the main text. The explanations of dynastic titles have also been expanded and reduced. In total, over 160 additions and modifications have been made.