Taxonomy of meanings for 帝:　　

  • dì (OC: k-leeɡs MC: tei) 都計切 去 廣韻：【説文曰諦也王天下之號也爾雅曰君也都計切二十三 】
    • ANCESTOR
      • n+prhighest ancestor, High Lord
      • nindefinitevenerated ancestor, ancestor venerated and sacrificed to？？
      • ntitleposthumous title conferred on certain Shāng kings (Heji 23272)
      • ancestral> GOD
        • nsovereign; high deity
        • nprOBI 4: God, the head of the Shāng pantheon, in control of wind, rain, harvests, disasters, approval of settlement decisions etc.;
        • vibe like a di4-god
        • nadNgod'sLZ
        • your divine YOU
          • n[post=npro2]you, our emperor
      • divine:ancestral, deceased> KING
        • n+Nprtitle帝顓頊 emperor Npr
        • nSovereign; Thearch
        • nstatedominant power
        • npost=NprSovereign, later: emperor 宣帝
        • vichangebecome a Sovereign, achieve sovereign power
        • vtoNcausativecause to become emperor
        • n(post-N)the contextually determinate EmperorDS

    Additional information about 帝

    說文解字: 蚜【帝】，諦也。王天下之號也。从丄、朿聲。 〔小徐本無「也」字。〕 【都计切】 【𢂇】，古文帝。古文諸丄字皆从一，篆文皆从𠄞。𠄞，古文上字。䇂、示、辰、龍、童、音、章，皆从古文丄。

      Criteria
    • EMPEROR

      天子

      皇帝

      上

      帝

    • GOD

      1. Tiān 天 refers to the - often personified or semi-personified - God of Heaven.

      2. Shàng dì 上帝 refers to the highest Sovereign, also identified with the the Highest Ancestor.

    • KING

      1. The general term for a king of any kind is wáng 王, and in Warring States times this term can refer to all sovereign rulers, even the Son of Heaven.

      2. Tiān wáng 天王 is a highly formal ritual term for "the King by the Grace of Heaven" and refers regularly to the Zhou king.

      3. Tiān zǐ 天子 refers to the Son of Heaven recognised as the ritual leader of all kings, and the word is currently used in a non-referential generic abstract sense.

      4. Dì 帝, originally "highest ancestor", is an honorary title for a king of very special distinction.

      5. Huáng 皇 is a very archaic way of referring to mythical rulers which in Qin times came to be used as part of the term for "emperor".

      6. Huáng dì 皇帝 is the Qin standard term for the emperor.

      Word relations
    • Epithet: (KING)五/FIVE The standard word for "five" is wǔ 五.
    • Contrast: (KING)皇/KING Huáng 皇 is a very archaic way of referring to mythical rulers which in Qin times came to be used as part of the term for "emperor".
    • Assoc: (KING)王/KING The general term for a king of any kind is wáng 王, and in Warring States times this term can refer to all sovereign rulers, even the Son of Heaven.
    • Assoc: (KING)三公/MINISTER