From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

History of China
3 Sovereigns & 5 Emperors
Xia Dynasty
Shang Dynasty
Western Zhou				Zhou
Spring & Autumn			Eastern Zhou
Warring States
Qin Dynasty
Western Han				Han
Xin
Eastern Han
Three Kingdoms
Western Jin				Jin
Sixteen Kingdoms		Eastern Jin
Southern & Northern Dynasties
Sui Dynasty
Tang Dynasty (interrupted by Second Zhou)
Liao		5 Dynasties & 10 Kingdoms
		Northern Song		Song
Jin	Western Xia	Southern Song
Yuan Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
Republic of China
People's Republic of China 1949–1976 1976–1989 1989–2002 2002–present				Republic of China (on Taiwan)
Timeline of Chinese history Dynasties in Chinese history Military history of China Naval history of China History of Chinese art History of science and technology in China History of Education in China
This box: view • talk • edit

The Three August Ones and Five Emperors (Chinese: 三皇五帝; pinyin: Sānhuáng wǔdì; Wade-Giles: San-huang wu-ti) were mythological rulers of China during the period from c. 2852 BC to 2205 BC, which is the time preceding the Xia Dynasty.

The Three August Ones, sometimes known as the Three Sovereigns, were said to be god-kings or demigods who used their magical powers to improve the lives of their people. Because of their lofty virtue they lived to a great age and ruled over a period of great peace.

The Three August Ones are ascribed various identities in different Chinese historical texts. The Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian states that they were:

• The Heavenly Sovereign (天皇);
• The Earthly Sovereign (地皇);
• The Human Sovereign (泰皇 or 人皇),

The Yundou shu (運斗樞) and Yuanming bao (元命苞) identify them as:

• Fuxi (伏羲)
• Nüwa (女媧)
• Shennong (神農)

Both Fuxi, and also Nüwa, are the god and goddess husband and wife credited with being the ancestors of humankind after a devastating flood. The invention of the Primal Arrangement of the Eight Trigrams (Xian Tian Ba Gua, 先天八卦) is attributed to Fuxi. Shennong invented farming and is the first to use herbs for medical purposes.

The Shangshu dazhuan (尚書大傳) and Baihu tongyi (白虎通義) replace Nüwa with Suiren (燧人), the inventor of fire. The Diwang shiji (帝王世紀) replaces Nüwa with the Yellow Emperor (黄帝), the supposed ancestor of all Han Chinese people.

The Five Emperors were legendary, morally perfect sage-kings. According to the Records of the Grand Historian they were:

• The Yellow Emperor (黄帝)
• Zhuanxu (顓頊)
• Emperor Ku (帝嚳)
• Emperor Yao (堯)
• Emperor Shun (舜)

Yao and Shun are also known as the Two Emperors, and, along with Yu the Great (禹), founder of the Xia dynasty, were considered to be model rulers and moral exemplars by Confucians in later Chinese history. The Shangshu Xu (尚書序) and Diwang shiji include Shaohao (少昊) instead of the Yellow Emperor.

The Song of Chu (楚辭) identifies the Five Emperors as directional gods:

• Shaohao (east)
• Zhuanxu (north)
• Yellow Emperor (center)
• Shennong (west)
• Fuxi (south)

The Book of Rites (禮記) equates the Five Emperors with the Five Lineages (五氏), which comprise:

• Youchao-shi (有巢氏)
• Suiren-shi (燧人氏)
• Fuxi (伏羲氏)
• Nüwa (女媧氏)
• Shennong (神農氏)

In one sense of the word, the first historical Emperor of China was Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇), who coined a new term for "Emperor" (huangdi 皇帝) by combining the titles of "august one" (huang 皇) and "god-king" (di 帝).

• List of Neolithic cultures of China
• Emperor of China

Topics in Chinese mythology v • d • e
General topics:	Creation myth · Astrology · Dragons · Religion in China · Folk religion ·List of deities · I Ching
Important beings:	Deities · Three August Ones and Five Emperors · Eight Immortals
Mythical creatures:	List of mythical creatures
Mythical places:	Xuanpu · Yaochi · Fusang · Queqiao · Penglai · Longmen · Diyu
Literary sources:	Shan Hai Jing · Shui Jing Zhu · Ten Brothers · Hei'an Zhuan · Fengshen Yanyi Journey to the West · Baishe Zhuan · Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio