Jiajing

Jiajing (Chinese: 嘉靖; pinyin: Jiājìng; Wade–Giles: Chia-ching; lit. 'admirable tranquility'; 28 January 1522 – 8 February 1567) was the era name (nianhao) of the Jiajing Emperor, the 12th emperor of the Ming dynasty. The Jiajing era lasted for 45 years, making it the second-longest era of the Ming. The era name "Jiajing" comes from the phrase "嘉靖殷邦" (jiajing yin bang; translated by James Legge, 1879: ..., but admirably and tranquilly presided over the regions of Yin, ...) in the chapter of Wuyi (, Against Luxurious Ease) in the Book of Documents. When the Jiajing Emperor ascended the throne, the Cabinet's candidate era names were the first "Mingliang" (明良; meaning 'a wise emperor and virtuous officials'), followed by "Shaozhi" (紹治; meaning 'inheriting the Hongzhi Restoration'), and the third "Jiajing".^[1]

On 4 February 1567 (Jiajing 45, 14th day of the 12th month), the Longqing Emperor ascended to the throne and continued to use the Jiajing era name. The following year, the era was changed to Longqing.^[2]