founder; progenitor; first emperor
Historical term for the founding ancestor of a dynasty, especially the first emperor of a Chinese or Japanese imperial line. Often used in titles like 太祖高皇帝.
The founder of the Ming dynasty was Zhu Yuanzhang.
The achievements of the founding emperor had a great influence on later generations.
Standard kanji spelling for the founder of a dynasty or imperial line.
Variant kanji form; less common than 太祖.
From Chinese 太祖 (tàizǔ), a title given to the founder of a dynasty. The kanji 太 means 'great' and 祖 means 'ancestor'.