中英雙語話史記 第51期:新朝

Xin Dynasty

新朝

The Xin Dynasty (新朝）was a “dynasty”（even though， contrary to the usual meaning of a dynasty, it had but one emperor) in Chinese history.

新朝是中國歷史上的一個“朝代”（儘管它和普通朝代的意義有所不同，它僅有一位皇帝）。

It followed the Western Han Dynasty and preceded the Eastern Han Dynasty.

它上乘西漢下啓東漢。

The Xin Dynasty’s sole emperor, Wang Mang (王莽） was the nephew of Grand Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun, and he became powerful after the death of her step-grandson, Emperor Ai in 1 B.C.

新朝唯一一位帝王王莽是太皇太后王政君的侄子，公元前1年，他在王政君的繼孫漢哀帝駕崩後奪權。

After several years of cultivating a personality cult, he finally took over as emperor in 8 A.D.

建立了多年的個人崇拜之後，他最終在公元8年自立爲帝。

However, while he was a creative scholar and politician, he was an incompetent ruler, and his capital Chang’an was sieged in 23 AD by peasant rebels.

然而，儘管他是一個極富創造力的學者與政治家，他卻是一個無能的帝王，他的都城長安在公元23年被農民起義者圍攻。

He died in the siege.

他死於那場圍攻之中。