emperor

帝 is composed as a pictograph of a bundle of firewood. In ancient times, people bound branches together, placed sacrificial offerings on top, and set them on fire so the rising smoke would reach the deities. Thus, the original meaning of 帝 was a ritual for sacrificing to Heaven, though this meaning was later superseded by the character 禘. Since the object of these sacrifices was the supreme ruler of Heaven, the ancients began using 帝 to represent the sovereign ruler of the universe. Later, earthly rulers used 帝 as their own title to emphasize that they ruled by divine mandate.