HSK · Level 55
105 words
Chinese word
皇帝
Pronunciation
Pinyinhuáng dì
Meaning
- nounemperor
Example
皇帝宣布了新的法律。huáng dì xuān bù le xīn de fǎ lǜ
The emperor announced a new law.
More examples
危机中，皇帝的权威受到了挑战。wēi jī zhōng huáng dì de quán wēi shòu dào le tiǎo zhàn
During the crisis, the emperor's authority was challenged.
Core concept
The single ruler at the top of an imperial state, holding authority above all other officials and nobles.
Common phrases
皇帝的权威huáng dì de quán wēi
emperor's authority
废黜皇帝fèi chù huáng dì
depose the emperor
皇帝的宫廷huáng dì de gōng tíng
the emperor's court
Similar words
国王guó wáng: A monarch who rules a single country and holds the title of king.
君主jūn zhǔ: A country's highest ruler, gaining the position through inheritance or an established system.
统治者tǒng zhì zhě: A person who controls and governs a country or region.
元首yuán shǒu: The person who officially represents a country and carries its highest responsibility.
Definition in Chinese
国家的最高统治者的称号，传统上指掌握最高权力的君主，常用于历史或帝制国家。guó jiā de zuì gāo tǒng zhì zhě de chēng hào chuán tǒng shàng zhǐ zhǎng wò zuì gāo quán lì de jūn zhǔ cháng yòng yú lì shǐ huò dì zhì guó jiā
Word origin
皇帝 (huángdì, "emperor") combines 皇 (huáng, "august") and 帝 (dì, "supreme ruler"), a title Qin Shi Huang adopted after unifying China in 221 BCE.
Usage tips
- English uses this title broadly in history, but Chinese usually reserves it for imperial rulers and does not use it as a casual label for a current national leader.
Other meanings
- monarchnoun
- sovereignnoun
Opposites
- 平民píng míncommonernoun
- 百姓bǎi xìngcommon peoplenoun
Related words
- 女皇帝nǚ huáng dìempressnoun
- 皇帝制huáng dì zhìimperial systemnoun