The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (Chinese: 三皇五帝; pinyin: Sānhuáng wǔdì; Wade–Giles: San-huang wu-ti) were a group of semi-mythological rulers and culture heroes from ancient China during the period circa 2852 BC to 2070 BC. This period preceded the Xia Dynasty.
In myth, the three sovereigns were demigods who used their abilities to help create mankind and impart essential skills and knowledge. The five emperors were exemplary sages possessed of great moral character.
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Famous quotes containing the word emperors:
“How does Nature deify us with a few and cheap elements! Give me health and a day, and I will make the pomp of emperors ridiculous. The dawn is my Assyria; the sun-set and moon-rise my Paphos, and unimaginable realms of faerie; broad noon shall be my England of the senses and the understanding; the night shall be my Germany of mystic philosophy and dreams.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)