I want to write up a list of the Chinese Emperors. I have done similar lists for other countries and my format is usually something like:
COUNTRY NAME
Dynasty Name (YYY-YYY): (YYY-YYY) Monarch Name (YYY-YYY) Monarch Name Etc...
When researching Chinese Emperors I found that they have many different names. Personal name, courtesy name, temple name, posthumous name, and sometimes just the era + emperor.
I'm not sure which name to use. I would like to remain consistent for every emperor from 2070 BCE to 1912 or at least have a clear point where the convention changes.
I would also prefer to avoid the use of the word Emperor or their dynasty within their name to avoid redundancy, but I will happily compromise on that if that is the preferred way to refer to them.
Any help would be super appreciated.
I discuss this somewhat in this answer, but to put it bluntly, naming conventions changed over time. Emperors from the Han to the Sui tend to be referred to by posthumous name, Tang through Song are usually referred to by temple name, Yuan emperors are typically referred to by their Mongolian personal name, and Ming and Qing emperors are typically referred to via era names (via the [X Emperor] format rather than [Emperor X]), though you can find some historians who prefer temple names instead. There's always the odd exception, such as the Ming emperor Yingzong, who is known via temple name as he had two separate reigns, but there's a mini-exception to that too, as the Qing Tongzhi Emperor is known as such despite having briefly been the Qixiang Emperor at the start of his reign. But as a general set of conventions over time, the above holds true.