Taizong
/ˈtaɪˌzʊŋ/noun
A Chinese imperial temple name meaning “Great Ancestor,” used by several emperors after death.
Did you know?Several Chinese emperors were called Taizong, including the powerful second emperor of the Tang dynasty, whose reign helped create one of China’s golden ages.
Etymological Timeline
Late Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese
太宗
““Great Ancestor”; an imperial ancestral or temple title”
6th–10th Century
Middle Chinese
太宗
“A dynastic temple name used for an emperor honored after death”
7th Century
Chinese
Tàizōng
“The title of Tang Emperor Li Shimin, conventionally written 太宗”
19th Century
Wade–Giles English
T’ai-tsung
“An older English romanization of the Chinese title”
20th–21st Century
Pinyin English
Taizong
“The modern Pinyin spelling used in English-language historical writing”