Chongzhen

Han Chinese costume during the Chongzhen period

"Chongzhen Tongbao" (崇たかし禎ただし通寶つうほう) issued during the Chongzhen era

Chongzhen (simplified Chinese: 崇たかし祯; traditional Chinese: 崇たかし禎ただし; pinyin: Chóngzhēn; Wade–Giles: Ch'ung-chen; lit. 'honorable and auspicious'; 5 February 1628 – 25 April 1644) was the era name (nianhao) of the Chongzhen Emperor, the last emperor of the Ming dynasty. It was also the final era of the Ming, lasting for 17 years.

In 1622 (Tianqi 2), Zhu Youjian was created the Prince of Xin (信しん王おう) by his elder brother, the Tianqi Emperor. In 1627 (Tianqi 7), the Tianqi Emperor died, and Zhu Youjian ascended to the throne. The Grand Secretariat proposed four era names—"Qiansheng" (乾いぬい聖きよし), "Xingfu" (興福こうふく), "Xianjia" (咸嘉), and "Chongzhen" (崇たかし貞さだ)—for Zhu Youjian to choose from. He ultimately chose "Chongzhen" (崇たかし貞さだ). Another account states that the four proposed era names were "Yongchang" (永昌えいしょう), "Shaoqing" (紹慶), "Xianning" (咸寧) and "Chongzhen" (崇たかし貞さだ), and Zhu Youjian chose "Chongzhen" and changed the character "貞さだ" to "禎ただし". The following year (1628), the era was changed to Chongzhen.

In February 1644 (Chongzhen 17, 2nd month), Li Zicheng established the Shun dynasty in Xi'an, Shaanxi, with the era name "Yongchang" (永昌えいしょう). On 25 April 1644 (19th day of the 3rd month), the Shun army captured Beijing, the capital of the Ming dynasty. The Chongzhen Emperor committed suicide by hanging himself on the Coal Hill in Beijing (present-day Jingshan, Beijing), leading to the downfall of the Ming. After hearing the news, Zhu Yousong, Prince of Fu, ascended the throne in Nanjing, the temporary capital, on 19 June of the same year (15th day of the 5th month), as the Hongguang Emperor, and established the Southern Ming regime. He continued to use the Chongzhen era name until the end of the year on New Year's Eve of Chongzhen 17, and the following year, the era was changed to Hongguang.

After the fall of the Ming dynasty, the Korean Yi dynasty aristocrats, out of anti-Qing sentiment and Little China ideology, still used the Chongzhen era name in their country, which was known as the "Chongzhen jiyuan" or "Sungjeong giwon" (崇たかし禎ただし紀元きげん).

Change of era

• 5 February 1628 (Tianqi 8, 1st day of the 1st month): The era was changed to Chongzhen 1 (崇たかし禎ただし元年がんねん, "the first year of Chongzhen").
• 28 January 1645 (Chongzhen 18, 1st day of the 1st month): The era was changed to Hongguang 1 (弘光ひろみつ元年がんねん, " the first year of Hongguang").

Comparison table

Chongzhen	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
AD	1628	1629	1630	1631	1632	1633	1634	1635	1636	1637
Sexagenary cycle	Wùchén (戊つちのえ辰たつ)	Jǐsì (己おのれ巳み)	Gēngwǔ (庚午こうご)	Xīnwèi (辛からし未ひつじ)	Rénshēn (壬みずのえ申さる)	Guǐyǒu (癸みずのと酉とり)	Jiǎxū (甲きのえ戌いぬ)	Yǐhài (乙おつ亥い)	Bǐngzǐ (丙へい子こ)	Dīngchǒu (丁ちょう丑うし)
Chongzhen	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
AD	1638	1639	1640	1641	1642	1643	1644
Sexagenary cycle	Wùyín (戊つちのえ寅とら)	Jǐmǎo (己おのれ卯う)	Gēngchén (庚かのえ辰たつ)	Xīnsì (辛からし巳み)	Rénwǔ (壬みずのえ午うま)	Guǐwèi (癸みずのと未ひつじ)	Jiǎshēn (甲きのえ申さる)

Other regimes' era names that existed during the same period

• China
  • Tiancong (天てん聰さとし, 1627–1636): Later Jin— era name of Hong Taiji
  • Chongde (崇たかし德とく, 1636–1643): Qing dynasty—era name of Hong Taiji
  • Shunzhi (順治じゅんじ, 1644–1661): Qing dynasty—era name of the Shunzhi Emperor
  • Ruiying (瑞應ずいおう, 1621–1629): Ming period—era name of She Chongming (奢おご崇たかし明あきら)
  • Yongxing (永興りょうご, 1628): Ming period—era name of Zhang Weiyuan (張ちょう惟おもんみ元もと)
  • Tianyun (天運てんうん, 1637): Ming period—era name of Zhang Puwei (張ちょう普ひろし徽)
  • Tianding (天てん定じょう, 1644): Ming period—era name of Liu Shoufen (劉りゅう守分もりわけ)
  • Chongxing (重じゅう興きょう, 1644): Ming period—era name of Qin Shangxing (秦はた尚行なおゆき)
  • Xingwu (興きょう武たけ, 1635–1636): Ming period—era name of Gao Yingxiang (高こう迎むかい祥さち)
  • Yongchang (永昌えいしょう, 1644–1645): Shun dynasty—era name of Li Zicheng
  • Yiwu (義武よしたけ, 1643–1644): Xi dynasty—era name of Zhang Xianzhong
  • Dashun (大だい順じゅん, 1644–1646): Xi dynasty—era name of Zhang Xianzhong
• Vietnam
  • Vĩnh Tộ (永えい祚, 1619–1629): Later Lê dynasty—era name of Lê Thần Tông
  • Đức Long (德とく隆たかし, 1629–1635): Later Lê dynasty—era name of Lê Thần Tông
  • Dương Hòa (陽ひ和わ, 1635–1643): Later Lê dynasty—era name of Lê Thần Tông
  • Phúc Thái (福ぶく泰たい, 1643–1649): Later Lê dynasty—era name of Lê Chân Tông
  • Long Thái (隆りゅう泰やすし, 1618–1625): Mạc dynasty—era name of Mạc Kính Khoan
  • Thuận Đức (順德じゅんとく, 1638–1677): Mạc dynasty—era name of Mạc Kính Vũ
• Japan
  • Kan'ei (寛永かんえい, 1624–1644): era name of Emperor Go-Mizunoo, Empress Meishō and Emperor Go-Kōmyō
  • Shōhō (正保まさやす, 1644–1648): era name of Emperor Go-Kōmyō

See also

• List of Chinese era names
• List of Ming dynasty era names

Bibliography

• Li, Chongzhi (December 2004). 中國ちゅうごく歷代れきだい年號ねんごう考こう [Zhongguo Lidai Nianhao Kao] (in Chinese). Beijing: Zhonghua Book Co. ISBN 7101025129.
• Deng, Hongbo (March 2005). 東亞とうあ歷史れきし年表ねんぴょう [Chronology of East Asian History] (in Chinese). Taipei: National Taiwan University Program for East Asian Classics and Cultures. ISBN 9789860005189. Archived from the original on 25 August 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2021.