What's the difference between an emperor and a king?

The difference between emperor and king: different reference objects, different sources and different nature.

First of all, refer to different.

1, emperor: emperor; Feudal monarch.

2. King: monarch; Supreme ruler; The highest title of feudal society.

Second, the sources are different.

1, Huang: Shuo Wen: Huang, uncle. From self. From the beginning. The first emperor, Huang San, was also a great king. Because, if you read your nose, today's custom takes the first child as your nose.

Interpretation of vernacular Chinese: Shuowen: Emperor, great. The glyph means "self, king". "From", the meaning of beginning. The first emperors in ancient times were Suiren, Fuxi and Shennong. They are great kings. "Self", reading, listening and seeing "nose", today's custom still calls the eldest son "nose".

2. Wang: "Erya": Wang belongs to the world. Dong Zhongshu said: "Ancient writers are the kings of three paintings. Among the three, heaven, earth and people are also involved, and Wang Ye is involved.

Interpretation of the vernacular: Erya: Wang, the hero in my heart, the attachment and yearning in the world. Dong Zhongshu said: "In ancient times, the method of making Chinese characters was to connect three horizontal paintings with a vertical pen. This method was called' Wang'. The three horizontal paintings represent heaven, earth and people respectively, and the person who can understand and connect these three is the king. "

Third, the nature is different.

1, yellow: pictographic. The bronze inscription is like a bright light. The three points above rise and fall like lights, the middle part is like a lamp jar, and the "earth" below is a lamp post. "Yellow" means "yellow" in ancient times. Original meaning: bright lights.

2. Wang: hieroglyphics. The word "Wang" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions is in the shape of an axe, and the axe is a ritual vessel, symbolizing the authority of the king. Original meaning: the emperor and the monarch.