Emperor Zhi (帝挚 / 帝摯, Dì Zhì)

In the annalistic tradition preserved in sources such as the Bamboo Annals and Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, Zhi is presented as an elder son of Emperor Ku. Although Ku is said to have designated his younger son Prince Yao of Tang as successor, Zhi nevertheless took the throne and reigned for nine years. He was then deposed and replaced by his younger half‑brother Fang Xun, who became King Yao. These accounts (Bamboo Annals; Sima Qian) place Zhi within the roster of prehistoric sovereigns between the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and the later historical dynasties, and are used by later compilers to historicize and moralize the ancient past.

Classical annals and the cited historiographical excerpts provide no physical description or iconography for Emperor Zhi. He is treated as a human or quasi‑historical ruler within chronicle narratives rather than as a spirit with fixed visual attributes; the sources focus on his lineage, succession, and political character rather than bodily or emblematic details.

No supernatural abilities are attributed to Zhi in the provided materials. His 'powers' are political and dynastic: he assumed rulership, exercised authority for nine years, and was judged by later historians (notably Sima Qian) to have 'reigned badly.' His behavioral significance in the tradition is as a failed or unsuitable ruler whose deposition and replacement by Yao illustrate norms of rightful succession and moral governance.