The ranks of imperial consorts have varied over the course of Chinese history but remained important throughout owing to its prominence in the management of the inner court and in imperial succession, which ranked heirs according to the prominence of their mothers in addition to their birth order. Regardless of the age, however, it is common in English translation to simplify this hierarchy into the three ranks of empress, consorts, and concubines.[1] It is also common to use the term "harem", an Arabic loan word used in recent times to refer to imperial women's forbidden quarters in many countries. In later Chinese dynasties, these quarters were known as the inner palace (內宮; nèi gōng) or the rear palace (後宮; hòu gōng).[2] In Chinese, the system is called the "rear palace system" (後宮制度; hòu gōng zhì dù).[3]
No matter the dynasty, the empress (皇后) held the highest rank and was the legal wife of the emperor, as well as the chief of the imperial harem and "mother of the nation" (國母). She was also known as the "central palace" (中宮). In addition, the emperor would typically have other imperial consorts (嬪妃). Every dynasty had its set of rules regarding the numerical composition of the harem.
^"Empresses and Consorts: Selections from Chen Shou's Records of the Three States with Pei Songzhi's Commentary". China Review International, Vol. 8, No. 2, Fall 2001, pp. 358–363.
^MacMahon, Keith (2013), Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao, Rowman & Littlefield, p. 11, ISBN 9781442222908
^Hsieh, Bao Hua (2014), Concubinage and Servitude in Late Imperial China, Lexington Books, p. 296 n.3, ISBN 9780739145166
and 24 Related for: Imperial Chinese harem system information
the term "harem", an Arabic loan word used in recent times to refer to imperial women's forbidden quarters in many countries. In later Chinese dynasties...
Portrayed by Hu Ke in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018). ImperialChineseharemsystem § Qing Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty 雍正十三年 九月 二十四日...
was during the Abbasid Caliphate that the haremsystem was fully enforced in the Muslim world. The haremsystem first became fully institutionalized in...
consort Portrayed by Jenny Zhang in 2018 Chinese TV series Story of Yanxi Palace. ImperialChineseharemsystem § Qing Royal and noble ranks of the Qing...
lady", a rank in the imperialChineseharemsystem after the 1st century Guiren, Jiangsu, a town in Sihong County, Jiangsu, China Gueiren District, Tainan...
The Mughal Harem was the harem of Mughal emperors of the Indian subcontinent. The term originated with the Near East, meaning a "forbidden place; sacrosanct...
Portrayed by Li Chun in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018) ImperialChineseharemsystem Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty 乾隆十年 十一月 十七日 乾隆十四年...
(2018) ImperialChineseharemsystem Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty Many historical materials on the Step Empress utilize the ancient Chinese lunisolar...
Portrayed by Joan Chen in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018) ImperialChineseharemsystem § Qing Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty https://www...
officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last imperial dynasty in Chinese history. The dynasty, proclaimed in Shenyang...
Empresses in the Palace (simplified Chinese: 后宫·甄嬛传; traditional Chinese: 後宮·甄嬛傳, lit. The Legend of Zhen Huan) is a 2011 Chinese television series based on the...
aka, and cognate with the Turkic word agha. Chinese nobility Mongolian nobility ImperialChineseharemsystem § Qing title existed in the Kangxi era Lee...
Portrayed by Dong Jie in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018) ImperialChineseharemsystem Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty Qing Shi Gao vol....
had five children. Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty ImperialChineseharemsystem § Qing "Pu Jie, 87, Dies, Ending Dynasty Of the Manchus". The...
Xiaozhuang (2015) Portrayed by Chen Xinyu in Rule the World (2017) ImperialChineseHaremsystem#Qing Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty 萬曆二十九年 十一月 Hummel...
(April 2009). 辽代后宫制度研究 [Research on the System of ImperialHarem in the Liao Dynasty] (Master's thesis) (in Chinese). Jilin University. Retrieved 4 October...
actual history.[citation needed] The zhai dou (Chinese: 宅斗,residential intrigue) and gong dou (Chinese: 宫斗,harem intrigue) genres show concubines and wives...
Throughout Chinese history, "Emperor" (Chinese: 皇帝; pinyin: Huángdì) was the superlative title held by the monarchs who ruled various imperial dynasties...
(April 2009). 辽代后宫制度研究 [Research on the System of ImperialHarem in the Liao Dynasty] (Master's) (in Chinese). 吉林大学 (Jilin University). English language...
from the sultan. The haremsystem was an important part of Ottoman-Egyptian society as well; it attempted to mimic the imperialharem in many ways, including...
(April 2009). 辽代后宫制度研究 [Research on the System of ImperialHarem in the Liao Dynasty] (Master's thesis) (in Chinese). Jilin University. Retrieved 4 October...
the present') or Qinding Gujin Tushu Jicheng (Chinese: 欽定古今圖書集成) in Chinese, also translated as the Imperial Encyclopaedia, the Complete Collection of Ancient...
courtesy name Wang Zhaojun (Chinese: 王昭君; Wade–Giles: Wang Chao-chun) was known as one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. Born in Baoping Village, Zigui...