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{{Short description|Type of god in Chinese culture}}
{{Redirect|Tian gong|other uses|Tiangong (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{infobox deity
|type=Chinese
|name= Jade Emperor
|image = 玉皇大帝畫像.jpg
|caption=Ink and color painting on silk of the Jade Emperor, Ming dynasty (16th century)
{{Infobox Chinese
|l                 = Jade emperor
|p                 = Yùhuáng
|c                 = 玉皇
|poj               = Gio̍k-hông
|poj2              =  Gio̍k-tè 
|c3                =  天公
|l3                =  Heavenly grandfather
|p3                =  Tiāngōng
|poj3              =  Thiⁿ-kong
|tl3               =  Thinn-kong
|c4                =  玉皇大帝
|l4                =  August emperor of jade
|p4                =  Yùhuáng Dàdì
|poj4              =  Gio̍k-hông-tāi-tè
|qn1=Thiên Công (ông Trời)
|chuhan1=天公 (翁𡗶)
|qn2=Ngọc Hoàng 
|chuhan2=玉皇
|qn3=Ngọc Hoàng Đại Đế
|chuhan3=玉皇大帝
}}
}}
In the [[Chinese mythology|myth]]s and [[Chinese folk religion|folk religion]] of [[Chinese culture]], the '''Jade Emperor''' or '''Yudi'''<ref>{{Britannica | id=654388 | title=Yudi }}</ref> is one of the representations of the [[Primordial Divinity (Tai Di)|primordial god]].

In [[Taoist theology]], he is the assistant of [[Yuanshi Tianzun]], who is one of the [[Three Pure Ones]], the three primordial emanations of the [[Tao]]. However, some Taoists in history were skeptical of his benevolence because his buildings and infrastructure in heaven and earth were sometimes seen as interfering with the many natural laws or [[Tao|dao]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Forty |first=Jo |title=Mythology: A Visual Encyclopedia |publisher=Barnes & Noble Books |year=2004 |isbn=0-7607-5518-3 |location=London |pages=226}}</ref>

He is often identified with [[Śakra (Buddhism)|Śakra]] in Chinese [[Buddhist cosmology]]<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=GgpkAwAAQBAJ A Simple Approach To Taoism]</ref> and identified with [[Yu the Great]] in [[Chinese mythology]].<ref name=":0" />

The Jade Emperor is known by many names, including Yu,<ref name=":0" /> Heavenly Grandfather ({{lang|zh|天公}}, ''{{transliteration|zh|Tiāngōng}}''), which originally meant "Heavenly Duke", which is used by commoners; the Jade Lord; the Highest Emperor; Great Emperor of Jade ({{lang|zh|玉皇上帝}} {{transliteration|zh|Yu Huang Shangdi}}, or {{lang|zh|玉皇大帝}} {{transliteration|zh|Yu Huang Dadi}}).

==Chinese mythology==
{{citations needed section|date=July 2025}}
{{Taoism}}
{{Confucianism}}
{{Chinese Buddhism}}
There are many stories in [[Chinese mythology]] involving the Jade Emperor.<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 August 2021|title=Daoism Series 41: The Jade Emperor|url=https://purplecloudinstitute.com/daoism-series-41-the-jade-emperor/|access-date=16 August 2021|website=Purple Cloud|language=en-AU}}</ref>

He can also be regarded as a traditional figure among the [[White Lotus Societies|White Lotus]] secret society.

===Origin===
It was said that Jade Emperor was originally the crown prince of the kingdom of Pure Felicity and Majestic Heavenly Lights and Ornaments. At birth, he emitted a wondrous light that filled the entire kingdom. When he was young, he was kind, intelligent and wise. He devoted his entire childhood to helping the needy (the poor and suffering, the deserted and single, the hungry and disabled). Furthermore, he showed respect and benevolence to both men and creatures.
After his father died, he ascended the throne. He made sure that everyone in his kingdom found peace and contentment. After that, he told his ministers that he wished to cultivate [[Tao]] on the Bright and Fragrant Cliff.

After 1,750 eons, each eon lasting for 129,600 years (360<sup>2</sup> years), he attained Golden Immortality. After another one hundred million years of cultivation, he finally became the Jade Emperor. (Using the given figures, this period before his becoming the Jade Emperor lasted for a total of about 327 million years.) 

===Vanquishing evil===
One of the myths describes how the Jade Emperor became the monarch of all the deities in heaven. It is one of the few myths in which the Jade Emperor really shows his power.

In the beginning of time, the earth was a very difficult place to live, much harsher than it is now. People had to deal with a variety of monstrous beings, and they did not have many gods to protect them; in addition, many powerful demons were defying the immortals of heaven. The Jade Emperor was an ordinary immortal who roamed the earth helping as many people as he could. He was saddened because his powers could only ease the suffering of humans. He retreated to a mountain cave to cultivate his Tao. He passed 3,200 trials, each trial lasting about 3 million years.

On earth at this time, a powerful, evil entity had the ambition to conquer the immortals and gods in heaven and proclaim sovereignty over the entire universe. This evil entity also went into retreat and meditation to expand its power, though later than the Jade Emperor did. He passed through 3,000 trials, each trial lasting about 3 million years. After its final trial, it felt confident that no one could defeat it. It re-entered the world and recruited an army of demons with the purpose of attacking heaven.

The immortals, being aware of the threat, gathered themselves and prepared for war. The gods were unable to stop the powerful demon and it defeated them all.

The Jade Emperor finished his cultivation during this war. When he was changing the land to make it more liveable for men and repelling a variety of monsters, he saw an evil glow radiating from heaven and knew something was amiss. He ascended and saw that the evil entity was too powerful to be stopped by the gods. He challenged it, and they fought. Mountains shook and rivers and seas toppled. Due to his deeper and wiser cultivation, his benevolence instead of his might, the Jade Emperor won the battle. After the evil entity was defeated, its army was scattered by the gods and immortals.

Because of his noble and benevolent deeds, the gods, immortals, and humans proclaimed the Jade Emperor the supreme sovereign of all.

===Creation===
The world started with ''[[wuji (philosophy)|wuji]]'' ({{lang|zh|無極}}, nothingness) according to the [[Chinese creation myth]]. The Jade Emperor was the head of the pantheon, but not responsible for creation.

In another [[creation myth]], the Jade Emperor fashioned the first humans from clay and left them to harden in the sun. Rain deformed some of the figures, which gave rise to human sickness and physical abnormalities. (The most common alternative Chinese creation myth states that human beings were once fleas on the body of [[Pangu]].)

In another myth, [[Nüwa]] fashions men out of the mud from the Yellow River by hand. Those she made became the richer people of the earth. After getting tired of it, she dipped her scarf into the mud and swung it around. The drops that fell from the scarf became the poorer humans.

===''The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl''===
{{Main|The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl}}
In another story, popular throughout Asia and with many differing versions, the Jade Emperor has a daughter named '''Zhinü''' ({{zh|s=织女|t=織女|p=zhī nǚ}} or Chih'nü, literally: weaver girl). She is most often represented as responsible for weaving colorful clouds in the heaven. In some versions, she is the Goddess Weaver, daughter of the Jade Emperor and the Celestial Queen Mother, who weaves the Silver River (known in the West as the [[Milky Way]]), which gives light to heaven and earth. In other versions, she is a seamstress who works for the Jade Emperor.

Every day Zhinü descended to earth with the aid of a magical robe to bathe. One day, a lowly cowherd named '''Niu Lang''' ({{zh|c=牛郎|p=niú láng}}) spotted Zhinü as she bathed in a stream. Niu Lang fell instantly in love with her and stole her magic robe which she had left on the bank of the stream, leaving her unable to escape back to Heaven. When Zhinü emerged from the water, Niu Lang grabbed her and carried her back to his home.

When the Jade Emperor heard of this matter, he was furious but unable to intercede, since in the meantime his daughter had fallen in love and married the cowherd. As time passed, Zhinü grew homesick and began to miss her father. One day, she came across a box containing her magic robe which her husband had hidden. She decided to visit her father back in Heaven, but once she returned, the Jade Emperor summoned a river to flow across the sky (the [[Milky Way]]), which Zhinü was unable to cross to return to her husband. The Emperor took pity on the young lovers, and so once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the [[lunar calendar]], he allows them to meet on a bridge over the river.

The story refers to [[constellation]]s in the night sky. Zhinü is the [[star]] [[Vega]] in the constellation of [[Lyra]] east of the Milky Way, and Niu Lang is the star [[Altair]] in the constellation of [[Aquila (constellation)|Aquila]] west of the Milky Way. Under the first quarter moon (7th day) of the seventh lunar month (around August), the lighting condition in the sky causes the Milky Way to appear dimmer, hence the story that the two lovers are no longer separated on that one particular day each year.

The seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is a holiday in China called [[Qixi Festival]], which is a day for young lovers much like [[Valentine's Day]] in the [[Western countries|West]]. In [[Japan]], it is called [[Tanabata]] (star day). In [[Korea]], it is called [[Chilseok]]. In [[Vietnam]], it is called Thất Tịch and if it rains on that day, it is said to be Zhinü crying tears of happiness for being reunited with her husband.

===The Chinese Zodiac===
[[File:Jade Emperor. Ming Dynasty.jpg|thumb|Portrait of the Jade Emperor, 16th century, Ming dynasty ([[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]])]]
There are several stories as to how the twelve animals of the [[Chinese zodiac]] were chosen. In one, the Jade Emperor, although having ruled Heaven and Earth justly and wisely for many years, had never had the time to actually visit the Earth personally. He grew curious as to what the creatures looked like. Thus, he asked all the animals to visit him in heaven. The [[Cat (zodiac)|Cat]], being the most handsome of all animals, asked his friend the [[Rat (zodiac)|Rat]] to wake him on the day they were to go to Heaven so he would not oversleep. The Rat, however, was worried that he would seem ugly compared to the Cat, so he did not wake the cat. Consequently, the Cat missed the meeting with the Jade Emperor and was replaced by the [[Pig (zodiac)|Pig]]. The Jade Emperor was delighted with the animals and so decided to divide the years up amongst them. When the cat learned of what had happened, he was furious with the Rat and that, according to the story, is why cats and Rats are enemies to this day. The Cat can be seen as the domesticated [[Tiger (zodiac)|Tiger]] or leopard the third of the animals in the classical [[Chinese zodiac|Chinese Zodiac]] text.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wu |first=Zhongxian , Karin Taylor Taylor |title=Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches - TianGan DiZhi |publisher=JESSICA KINGSLEY PUBLISHERS |year=2016 |isbn=9781848192089 |language=English}}</ref>

===''The Four Dragons''===
Once a great drought had spread across the land. Four dragons from the sea noticed the plight of the people and traveled to beseech The Jade Emperor in the Heavenly Palace to bring the rains to the people. He was very busy ruling the heavens, earth, and sea and distractedly agreed to send the rains on the next day if they would return to the sea, but soon after the dragons departed, he forgot his promise.

After ten days, the rains still did not come and the people began to die of starvation. The dragons could not simply stand by and do nothing, and so they decided to use their bodies to capture great masses of water from the sea, taking it upon themselves to bring the rain. The people were grateful and prayed their thanks to the Jade Emperor, who soon discovered what the dragons had done, and became angry that they intervened without his blessing.

The Jade Emperor ordered Mountain God to trap the four dragons. However, from each mountain that trapped a dragon there sprang a new river. From Yellow Dragon came the [[Yellow River]], from Long Dragon the [[Yangtze River]], from Black Dragon the [[Amur River]], and from Pearl Dragon the [[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]]. The rivers thereafter flowed from west to east and north to south, the dragons ensuring that the people of China would never be without water again.

===His predecessor and successor===
The Jade Emperor was originally the assistant of the Divine Master of the Heavenly Origin, [[Yuanshi Tianzun]]. Yuanshi Tianzun is said to be the supreme beginning, the limitless and eternal creator of Heaven and Earth, who picked Yu-huang, or the Jade Emperor, as his personal successor.

The Jade Emperor will eventually be succeeded by the Heavenly Master of the Dawn of Jade of the Golden Door ({{lang|zh|金闕玉晨天尊}}).<ref>[http://www.bookhome.net/zhexue/zongjiao/djds.html 道教的神] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100519140532/http://www.bookhome.net/zhexue/zongjiao/djds.html |date=19 May 2010 }}</ref> The characters for both are stamped on the front of the arms of his throne.

In two folk [[Fuji (planchette writing)|automatic writing]] texts produced in 1925 and 1972, [[Guan Yu]] became the 18th Jade Emperor in about 1840 AD;<ref>[http://a3838838.myweb.hinet.net/02-07.zip 洞冥寶記]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>[http://www.cass.net.cn/zhuanti/y_guangong/f05_07.htm 關聖帝君受禪玉帝經略] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717152357/http://www.cass.net.cn/zhuanti/y_guangong/f05_07.htm |date=17 July 2011 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.boder.idv.tw/uchsj.htm 瑤池聖誌]</ref> however, some have disagreed that Guan Yu has succeeded, and thus the Jade Emperor and Guan Yu are often worshiped separately.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gotobr.org/RCCBRSUB/KnowingYiGuanDao/LetterToTendao.htm |title=寫給天道道親的一封信 |access-date=14 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171124195621/http://www.gotobr.org/RCCBRSUB/KnowingYiGuanDao/LetterToTendao.htm |archive-date=24 November 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In [[Lord of Universe Church|Tienti]] teaching, the reigning Jade Emperor has 55 predecessors.<ref>
[http://tienti.info/v2/library/constitution/p040.html 教源──道統衍流　天帝立教道統衍流] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821121933/http://tienti.info/v2/library/constitution/p040.html |date=21 August 2008 }}</ref> However this is from the point of view of [[Chinese folk religion|Chinese Folk religion]], and many orthodox Taoists do not believe these claims to be true.

==Worship and festivals==
[[File:初九冬山草湖玉尊宮拜天公.jpg|thumb|The Jade Emperor Ritual at [[Yuzun Temple]] in [[Sanxing, Yilan|Sanxing]], [[Yilan County, Taiwan|Yilan]] of [[Taiwan]] on the Emperor's Birthday.]]
[[File:Thni Kong Tnua, Air Itam, Penang.jpg|thumb|[[Thni Kong Tnua]] in [[Air Itam]], [[Penang]], [[Malaysia]] was specifically built in honor of the Jade Emperor.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2006/10/17/temple-of-jade-emperor-god/ |title= Temple of Jade Emperor God - Community {{!}} The Star Online |website=www.thestar.com.my |date= 17 October 2006 |access-date=16 May 2017}}</ref>]]
[[File:20250906 Yuhuang Temple 11.jpg|thumb|Ming dynasty statue of Jade Emperor at Yuhuang Temple, Fucheng.]]
Elements from the supreme god [[Shangdi]] and his worship were incorporated into theology about the Jade Emperor and the two were often thought to be the same being.<ref name=":17">{{Cite book |last=Stark |first=Rodney |title=Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief |publisher=[[HarperOne]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-06-117389-9 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=252 |author-link=Rodney Stark}}</ref>

The Jade Emperor's Birthday ({{lang|zh-hant|天公誕}}) is said to be the ninth day of the first lunar month.<ref name="lmr">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/en/content?ID=4414 |title=Jade Emperor |last=Lin Meirong |date=2011 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Taiwan |publisher=Council for Cultural Affairs |access-date=12 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222074628/http://taiwanpedia.culture.tw/en/content?ID=4414 |archive-date=22 February 2014 }}</ref> On this day, Taoist [[temple]]s hold a Jade Emperor ritual ({{lang|zh-hant|拜天公}}, [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]]: ''{{transliteration|zh|bài Tiāngōng}}''; [[Hokkien]]: ''pài Thinn-kong'', literally "heaven worship") at which priests and laymen prostrate themselves, burn [[incense]] and make food offerings.

In the morning of this birthday, Chinese, Taiwanese as well as [[Hokkien]] and [[Peranakan Chinese|Peranakan]] [[Malaysian Chinese]] and [[Chinese Singaporeans|Singaporean Chinese]] who practice [[Buddhism]], [[Taoism]] and other traditional Chinese religions set up an altar table with 3 layers: one top (containing offertories of six vegetables ({{lang|zh|六齋}}), noodles, fruits, cakes, ''[[tangyuan (food)|tangyuan]]'', vegetable bowls, and unripe [[betel]], all decorated with paper lanterns) and two lower levels (containing the five sacrifices and wines) to honor the deities below the Jade Emperor.<ref name="lmr"/> The household then kneels three times and [[kowtow]]s nine times to pay homage and wish him a long life.<ref name="lmr"/>

In [[Penang]], [[Malaysia]], a focal point of the Jade Emperor's Birthday celebrations is [[Thean Kong Thnuah Temple|Thni Kong Tnua]], which gained worldwide fame as one of the featured locations for ''[[The Amazing Race 16]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.visitpenang.gov.my/portal3/penang-tourism-news/1148-amazing-race-season-16-episode-8.html|title=Amazing Race Season 16, Episode 8|last=II|first=Administrator|website=www.visitpenang.gov.my|language=en-gb|access-date=16 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507003422/http://www.visitpenang.gov.my/portal3/penang-tourism-news/1148-amazing-race-season-16-episode-8.html|archive-date=7 May 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> The temple, built in 1869, is located at the foot of [[Penang Hill]] at the [[Air Itam]] suburb near [[George Town, Penang|George Town]], [[Penang]]'s capital city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2006/10/17/temple-of-jade-emperor-god/|title=Temple of Jade Emperor God - Community {{!}} The Star Online|website=www.thestar.com.my|date=17 October 2006 |access-date=16 May 2017}}</ref> Aside from [[Thni Kong Tnua]], the Chew Jetty in the heart of [[George Town, Penang|George Town]] is another focal point of the Jade Emperor's Birthday celebrations; the festivities in this particular location was captured for a 2014 Malaysian film, [[The Journey (2014 Malaysian film)|''The Journey'']].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/02/06/aweinspiring-tribute-to-deity-hokkiens-go-all-out-to-celebrate-jade-emperor-gods-birthday-at-jetty-a/|title=Hokkiens go all out to celebrate Jade Emperor God's birthday at jetty and temple - Community {{!}} The Star Online|newspaper=The Star|date=6 February 2017 |access-date=16 May 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Yuk Wong Temple 01.jpg|thumb|[[Yuk Wong Po Tin]] in A Kung Ngam, Hong Kong.]]

[[Yuk Wong Kung Tin]] (Cantonese romanisation) ({{lang|zh|玉皇宮殿}}) also known as Yuk Wong Po Tin ({{lang|zh|玉皇寶殿}}) is a temple in [[A Kung Ngam]], [[Hong Kong]], dedicated to the Jade Emperor. In the mid 19th century, people from [[Huizhou]] and [[Chaozhou]] mined stones in the hill for the development of the central urban area. They set up a shrine to worship Yuk Wong. At the beginning of the 20th century, the shrine was developed into a small [[temple]] and was renovated many times. The latest renovation was in 1992.<ref>[[Chinese Temples Committee]]: [http://www.ctc.org.hk/en/directcontrol/temple2.asp Yuk Wong Kung Din, A Kung Ngam] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202231556/http://www.ctc.org.hk/en/directcontrol/temple2.asp |date=2 December 2013 }}</ref>

Early Catholic missionaries to China wrote often about the Jade Emperor. They noticed that, "The stories of Jesus and the Jade Sovereign are, in certain aspects, quite similar. In both cases it is claimed that a god incarnated as a human being." On the other hand, they denounced the cult of the Jade Emperor as "superstitious," and compared unfavorably the "legends" about the Jade Emperor with what they claimed was a solid historical record documenting the existence and life of Jesus.<ref>Bony Schachter, "Beyond the Kingly Metaphor: A Sociological Reading of the 'Scripture of the Jade Sovereign,'" ''Journal of Chinese Studies'' 60 (2015), 95–157 (145–155).</ref>

In 2005, roughly 2% of [[Chinese folk religion|Chinese folk]] practitioners believed in the Jade Emperor.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1 May 2008 |title=Religion in China on the Eve of the 2008 Beijing Olympics |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/05/01/religion-in-china-on-the-eve-of-the-2008-beijing-olympics/ |access-date=19 June 2023 |website=[[Pew Research Center]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Toponyms==
A crater on [[Saturn]]'s moon [[Rhea (moon)|Rhea]], discovered by [[Voyager 2]] spacecraft, is named after him.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}

==In popular culture==
* Features as a playable mage in the MOBA video game ''[[Smite (video game)|Smite]]'', released in April 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.smitegame.com/gods/yu-huang |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=www.smitegame.com}}</ref>
* The adaptation of [[Chinese gods and immortals|Chinese deities]] into the ''[[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]'' role-playing game<ref>{{cite book |title=Religions in play: games, rituals, and virtual worlds |editor-last1=Bornet |editor-first1=Philippe |editor-last2=Burger |editor-first2=Maya |last=Perlini-Pfister |first=Fabian |year=2011 |publisher=Theologischer Verlag Zürich |isbn=978-3-290-22010-5 |chapter=Philosophers with Clubs: Negotiating Cosmology and Worldviews in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' |pages=282–283}}</ref> included an "Emperor of the Heavens" named Shang-Ti in the books ''[[Deities & Demigods]]'' and ''[[Legends & Lore]]'', and a "Celestial Emperor" in the ''[[Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms|Kara-Tur]]'' campaign setting, as head of the pantheon.<ref>{{Cite book |author=[[James M. Ward|James Ward]] |author2=[[Robert J. Kuntz]] |title=[[Deities & Demigods]] |editor=[[Lawrence Schick]] |date=1980 |publisher=[[TSR, Inc.]] |isbn=0-935696-22-9 |page=37}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=[[James M. Ward]] |author2=[[Troy Denning]] |title=[[Legends & Lore]] |date=1990 |publisher=[[TSR, Inc.]] |isbn=978-0880388443 |pages=72, 76}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=[[Mike Pondsmith]] |author2=Jay Batista |author3=[[Rick Swan]] |author4=[[John Nephew]] |author5=[[Deborah Christian]] |title=[[Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms]] (Volume I) |date=1988 |publisher=[[TSR, Inc.]] |isbn=0-88038-608-8 |page=24}}</ref>
* Appears in the [[military science fiction]] television series ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' as a [[Goa'uld]] System Lord named Yu-huang Shang Ti.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}
* Jun Wu from the series ''Heaven Officials Blessing'' is their version of the Jade Emperor.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}

==See also==
{{portal|China}}
* [[Tian]]
* [[Shangdi]]
* [[Yuanching Temple]], Taiwan
* [[Fengshan Tiangong Temple]], Taiwan
* [[Jade Emperor Pagoda]], Vietnam
* [[Yuk Wong Kung Din]], Hong Kong
* [[Thean Kong Thnuah Temple|Thni Kong Tnua]], Malaysia
* [[Chinese folk religion]]
* [[King of the gods]]

'''Counterparts of the Jade Emperor in other Asian cultures'''
* [[Amenominakanushi]], the [[Japanese mythology|Japanese]] counterpart
* [[Haneunim]], the [[Korean mythology|Korean]] counterpart
* [[Indra]], the [[Hindu]] counterpart
* [[Śakra (Buddhism)|Śakra]], the [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] counterpart
* [[Ülgen]]/[[Qormusta Tengri]], the [[Turkic mythology|Turko]]-[[Mongolian mythology|Mongolian]] counterpart
* [[Thagyamin]], the [[Culture of Myanmar|Burmese Buddhist]] representation of Śakra, a counterpart of the Jade Emperor
* [[Ông Trời]], the [[Vietnamese mythology|Vietnamese]] counterpart

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Jade Emperor}}

{{Chinese mythology}}
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[[Category:Chinese gods]]
[[Category:Sky and weather gods]]
[[Category:Journey to the West characters]]
[[Category:Heaven]]
[[Category:Fictional emperors and empresses]]
[[Category:Deities in Chinese folk religion]]
[[Category:Taoist deities]]
[[Category:Four heavenly ministers]]
{{Religious Confucianism}}