List of posthumous names
In China, posthumous names 諡 were conferred upon Emperors, Empresses, and notable officials by the imperial court up until the fall of Qing dynasty in 1911. The following list is limited to officials. For posthumous names of Emperors, see List of Chinese monarchs. The name is most often used in the combination surname + posthumous name + "gong 公," as appears in all formal references. During Ming and Qing dynasties, posthumous names of officials were formalized and fixed at two characters. The first character Wen 文 was typically only given to those who had obtained Jinshi  degree and served in the Hanlin Academy. Among all posthumous names, Wenzheng 文正 was considered the most prestigious, followed by Wenzhong 文忠, etc. Terms used in posthumous names. The "Rules for Posthumous Names" section of the "Lost Book of Zhou" features an elaborate explanation of the terms used in posthumous names. Entries are sorted according to alphabetical order based on Hanyu Pinyin romanization.