皇帝
huángdì
To say emperor in Chinese, use 皇帝 (huángdì), the ruler of an empire. If unsure, use 皇帝. Wiktionary also lists 帝王 (dìwáng) and 皇上.
Meaning: ruler of an empire (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 皇帝 | huángdì |
| 帝王 | dìwáng |
| 皇上 | |
| 天皇 | tiānhuáng |
皇帝 is the standard noun for the office or the person of an emperor, in history and in general talk.
What does it mean word for word?
皇 (huáng) means imperial or august and 帝 (dì) means emperor or monarch.
Which one should you use?
帝王 (dìwáng) is more literary and often refers to emperors and kings as a class of rulers. 天皇 (tiānhuáng) is the title of the Emperor of Japan. 皇上 is how people addressed the reigning emperor in imperial times, and you often hear it in historical dramas.
How do you pronounce it?
In pinyin it is huángdì, with a rising tone and then a falling tone.
Did you know?
- The concept of the emperor was tied to the 'Mandate of Heaven', meaning a ruler could lose the right to be 皇帝 (huángdì) if they became corrupt or failed to prevent natural disasters.
- The character 帝 (dì) was used in ancient China to refer to a supreme deity or high god long before it became a political title for a human ruler.
- While history often credits Qin Shi Huang with inventing the term 皇帝, the specific combination of these two characters actually appears in much older bronze inscriptions from the Western Zhou period.
Examples in context
- 公主向皇帝请求饶恕。The princess begged forgiveness from the emperor.Here the princess asks the 皇帝 for forgiveness.Tatoeba #8899483 by crescat, translation #327977 by CK
- 从来就没有什么救世主， 也不靠神仙皇帝！There has never been a savior nor an immortal emperor to rely on.This line rejects 皇帝 and immortals as saviors to rely on.Tatoeba #690503 by offdare, translation #1102876 by ScarsAndStripes
- 在空無一物的地方, 皇帝再大的權力也無用。In an empty place, an emperor has no power.This sentence is in traditional characters, and 皇帝 is written the same way in both scripts.Tatoeba #757622 by Martha, translation #7785194 by sharris123
- 他是一位明智而公正的帝王 (tā shì yī wèi míngzhì ér gōngzhèng de dìwáng)He was a wise and just emperor
- 大帝统治了几十年 (dàdì tǒngzhì le jǐshí nián)The great emperor ruled for decades
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yuting and Haoran are discussing a history book.
- 雨婷 Yuting这本书在讲哪位皇帝？Zhè běn shū zài jiǎng nǎ wèi huángdì?Which emperor is this book talking about?
- 浩然 Haoran是在讲秦始皇。Shì zài jiǎng Qín Shǐhuáng.It is talking about Qin Shi Huang.
- 雨婷 Yuting他是中国历史上第一个皇帝。Tā shì Zhōngguó lìshǐ shàng dì yī gè huángdì.He was the first emperor in Chinese history.
- 浩然 Haoran没错，他统一了中国。Méi cuò, tā tǒngyī le Zhōngguó.That's right, he unified China.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “emperor” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
