posthumous name

noun

A respectful alias used in Chinese or sometimes more broadly East Asian contexts to refer to a dead person, particularly royalty.

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Meanings

nounposthumous name (plural posthumous names)

plural posthumous names

  1. historicalA respectful alias used in Chinese or sometimes more broadly East Asian contexts to refer to a dead person, particularly royalty.

    The posthumous names of early Chinese rulers were often variations of a few words like "the martial one" 武 (wǔ), "the literary one" 文, and "the filial one" 孝 (xiào), but by the Tang they had become so long that people began using rulers' temple names or era names instead.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 謚號 /谥号, 諡號 /谥号
  • 謚號 /谥号 (shìhào)respectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
  • 諡號 /谥号 (shìhào)respectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
  • 謚 /谥respectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
  • 諡 /谥respectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
Finnish kuolemanjälkeinen nimi, postuumi nimi
  • kuolemanjälkeinen nimirespectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
  • postuumi nimirespectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
French nom posthume
  • nom posthumerespectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
Japanese 諡号, 諡
  • 諡号 (shigō)respectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
  • 諡 (okurina)respectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
Korean 시호
  • 시호 (siho)respectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
Russian посмертный титул
  • посмертный титул (posmertnyj titul)respectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
Spanish nombre póstumo
  • nombre póstumorespectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
Vietnamese thụy hiệu, hiệu bụt
  • thụy hiệurespectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
  • hiệu bụtrespectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
  • tên hèmrespectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
  • tên cúng cơmrespectful name used for a dead person in Chinese or East Asian contexts
Cite this entry
APA

posthumous name. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/posthumous%20name

MLA

“posthumous name.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/posthumous%20name. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “posthumous name,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/posthumous%20name.

Source: posthumous name on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.