Huang-Di - Definition and Overview

The Yellow Emperor (黄帝 Huáng Dì) is a Chinese mythical character, a culture hero said in legend to be the ancestor of all Chinese people. The legend of his retreat to west in the war against the eastern Emperor Chi You at the Battle of Zhuolu is seen as the establishment of the Han Chinese nationality.

Among his other accomplishments, Huáng Dì has been credited with the invention of the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The basic text on Traditional Chinese Medicine is the Neijing Suwen (The Medical Canon) of the Yellow Emperor. According to tradition this foundational classic text was composed by the Emperor in collaboration with his minister Ch'i Pai, during his reign from 2696-2598 B.C. However, modern historiographers generally consider it to have been compiled from ancient sources by a scholar living between the Zhou and Han dynasties, more than 2000 years later.

See also

• Sanhuangwudi