Era Name年号

A naming system for years (年号) used by Chinese emperors to mark their reign periods. Each emperor could declare multiple era names to mark significant events.

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Era names (年号 niánhào) were used to count years during an emperor’s reign. Emperors could change era names to mark auspicious events or new beginnings. Key Three Kingdoms era names include Jian’an (建安, 196-220) under Emperor Xian, Huangchu (黄初, 220-226) under Cao Pi, and Zhangwu (章武, 221-223) under Liu Bei. Dates in historical records use era names alongside the sexagenary cycle.

References

  • Chen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms (三国志)
  • Fan Ye, Book of the Later Han (后汉书)