Han Dynasty
During the Eastern Han period, the Emperor's principal wife was called Empress (后), and consorts were all called Madames (夫人). Within the rank of Madame, there exists a system of sub-rankings.
- Zhaoyi (昭儀, created during the reign of Emperor Yuan)
- Madame(夫人)
- Beautiful Lady (美人)
- Good Lady (良人)
- Bazi (八子)
- Qizi (七子)
- Changshi (長使)
- Shaoshi (少使)
- Jieyu (婕妤, created by Emperor Wu)
- Kenge (娙娥, created by Emperor Wu)
- Ronghwa (容華, created by Emperor Wu)
- Chongyi (充依, created by Emperor Wu)
- Wuguan (五官)
- Shunchang (順常)
- Wujuan (無涓)
- Gonghe (共和)
- Yuling (娛靈)
- Baolin (保林)
- Liangshi (良使)
- Yezhe (夜者)
No limits were set on the number of consorts during this time, except for the Queen, which was limited to one.
The principal wife of the Crown Prince was called Consort (妃). There also exists a sub-ranking system for other consorts. They were called Liangdi (良娣) and Ruren (孺人). For grandchildren of the Emperor, their principal wives were called Madame (夫人). Consorts for these people have no titles, and were simple called people of the household (家人子).
When the Eastern Han (or Later Han Dynasty) began, the ranking system for consorts was dramatically scaled down, and only four ranks remained. They were Honoured Lady (貴人), Beautiful Woman (美人), Person of the Palace (宮人), and Cainu (采女).
No limits were set for these consorts. This later created situation when more than 20,000 women were living in the Palace during the reign of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling
Read more about this topic: Ranks Of Imperial Consorts In China
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