The founders of these entities were all frontier commanders of their former states. Because they gained their power through military separatism, frequent warfare and changes of administration marked the period.
五代的创始人都是镇守边关的将领，他们依靠军权割据一方，所以他们的统治也经常战乱不休。
Of the five dynasties, the Later Liang, the longest one, lasted only 17 years. Then came the Later Tang which lasted 14 years and the Later Jin which lasted 11 years；while the Later Han existed for only 4 years and the Later Zhou 9 years.
在五个朝代中，后梁维持的时间最长，也只有17年，其次后唐14年，后晋11年，而后汉仅仅4年，后周9年，都不足十年。
There were struggles for power all throughout the period.
其实，即便在一朝之内，其权位之争亦超乎寻常。
For example, Zhu Wen(Taizu), the first emperor of the Later Liang, was murdered by his second son Zhu Yougui after only five years on the throne.
如后梁太祖朱温登上皇位才5年,就被其次子朱友硅所杀。
Zhu Yougui, shortly after having taken power, was murdered by his younger brother Zhu Youzhen.
而朱友硅上台不久,又被其弟朱友贞所杀。
In the Later Tang, Li Congrong, Emperor Mingzong^ son, rose to seize power, but ended up losing his own life.
再如后唐明宗李嗣源的儿子秦王李从荣，亦曾以兵夺权，未能成功，反丢了性命。
After the death of Emperor Mingzong, his cousin, Li Conghou succeeded to the throne, but was deposed only one year later by Li Congke, the adopted son of Emperor Mingzong.
明宗去世之后，其弟五子李从厚继位,仅一年，其位即被明宗的养子李从珂所夺。
These series of murder brought nothing but suffering and disaster to the people.
频频兵戎相见，给百姓带来了极大痛苦和灾难。
The Later Liang ： Liang was founded by Zhu Wen, a traitor of uprising peasants and a garrison commander of the preceding dynasty. After having succeeded in removing the separate military regimes and unified the Yellow River Valley, Zhu deposed Emperor Ai of the Tang, took Kaifeng as capital and established Liang, which was called the Later Liang.
后梁:唐末农民起义军叛徒、唐宣武节度使朱全忠（原名朱温），消灭了许多割据势力，初步统一了黄河流域以后，于907年废唐哀帝自立，国号梁，定都开封，史称“后梁”。
After became an emperor, Liang Taizu, Zhu Wen continued his war with Li Keyong, a warlord and a noble clan of Shatuo nationality for the last say in the north. The wars did not yield with harvest and the separation remained.
后梁建立后，梁太祖朱全忠与河东军阀、沙陀贵族李克用继续争夺霸权，交战不已，各地藩镇的骄横局面也没有多大改变。
In 912, Emperor Zhu Wen was killed by his son and the situation grew more shaking, which invited the downfall from the Later Tang.
公元912年，朱全忠被其子 杀死后,政局更为混乱，结果为后唐所灭。
In all, the Later Liang lasted 17 years.
后梁统治共17年。
The Later Tang： In April 923, Li Cunxu, son of Li Keyong ascended the throne. He was called Emperor Zhuang, his regime named Tang. In October, Emperor Zhuang defeated the Later Liang and named Luoyang as capital. His administration was referred as the Later Tang.
后唐:公元923年4月，李克用之子李存勖称帝（庄宗），国号唐，10月攻灭后梁，建都洛阳,史称“后唐”。
In 926, the military coup was broken out in Weizhou (now southeast of Da Ming, Hebei) and Emperor Zhuang was killed by a flying arrow.
公元926年发生魏州（河北大名东南）兵变，庄宗毙于流矢。
Li Siyuan, known a$ Emperor of Ming, the adopted son of Li Keyong came to Luoyang and succeeded the throne.
李克用养子，李嗣源人洛阳称帝（明宗）。
He carried out reforms and discarded some unreasonable practice which created a peaceful time in his seven-year-reign. During this period, there was harvest of the grain and people were blessed to enjoy their life temporarily.
唐明宗改革了庄宗时的一些弊政, 在位七年，战事减少，农业屡有丰收，人民获得了短期的喘息。
However, the rulers of the Later Tang waged war to murder each other after the death of Emperor of Ming. Short after, the Later Tang was destroyed by Later Jin after 14 years of ruling.
明宗死后，由于最高统治集团内部互相残杀，不久被后晋所灭。后唐统治14年。
The Later Jin ： In 936, the garrison command of the later Tang, Shi Jingtang (Shatuo origin) bought assists from Liao at the expense of ceding the sixteen cities of Yanyun (now the northern parts of Hebei and Shanxi and some area of inner Mongolia), of paying 30 000pi of silk annually and admitting the subordinate position of his kingdom by accepting Yelu Deguang ,the ruler of Laio as the father emperor. He set up his regime of Jin and moved the capital to Kaifeng. His kingdom was known as the Later Jin.
后晋:公元936年，后唐河东节度使，石敬瑭（沙陀人）以割让燕云十六州（今 河北、山西的北部和内蒙古的一部分）、岁贡绡帛30万匹和认辽朝君主耶律德光为父皇等条件，取得辽兵的援助，推翻了后唐，建立了政权，国号晋，迁都开封，史称 “后晋”。
After the Later Jin, the sixteen cities of Youyun was a base for Liao to attack and grab from the Central Plain, which brought havoc in north China.
后晋以后,幽云十六州成为辽军南下攻掠中原的基地，致使北方地区的社会经济遭受严重破坏。
At the dawn of 947, Liao marched his army southernwards and took Kaifeng. The Late Jin ended after 12 years of existence.
公元947年初，辽兵攻入开封,后晋亡。后晋共存在12年。
The Later Han：After Liao seized Kaifeng, the garrison commander of the Later Jin, Liu Zhiyuan (Shatuo origin) proclaimed to be Emperor of Gao Zu in Jinyang(now Taiyuan). He still named his regime the Later Jin in order to win the from the former Jin ministers.
后汉:辽兵攻入开封后，后晋河东节度使，刘知远（沙陀人）在晋阳（太原）称帝 (高祖），仍用后晋天福年号以争取后晋旧臣归附。
He entered Luoyang and Kaifeng, made Kaifeng as capital and called his administration Han, which known as the Later Han shortly after Liao drew back to the north.
当辽兵北退后，他很快进入洛阳和开封，并在开封建都，国号汉，史称“后汉”。
Eleven months later, Emperor Gaozu of the Later Han passed away and his nephew Liu Chengyou (Emperor of Ying) carried out the line. The new emperor was always suspicious of and put his ministers to death which caused the garrison commander Guo Wei to lead an uprising.
后汉高祖做了11个月皇帝就死了，其侄刘承祐（隐帝）继位后，忌杀大臣，天雄节度使郭威被迫起兵反汉，隐帝被杀。
Four years later, the Emperor was killed and the shortly existed Later Han came to an end.
后汉仅统治四年就灭亡了。
The Later Zhou： In January 951, Guo Wei declared himself the emperor in Kaifeng and named his kingdom Zhou, in history the Later Zhou was the name of-ten referred to. Guo Wei was Emperor Taizu.
后周:公元951年正月，郭威在开封称帝（太祖），国号周，史称“后周”。
Born in the poor family, Emperor Td-zu experienced the hardships of life and hence introduced political and economical reforms after became emperor.
周太祖出身贫寒，知道民间疾苦，称帝后虚心纳谏，生活节俭。
He led a thrifty life and encouraged his followers to speak out their opinions on the state affairs. To avoid the overweight of the army leaders, he tried to find the capable persons and put them in positions. In addition ,rents and taxes were reduced, sentences for committing crimes lighted, and corrupted officials punished. Favorable conditions for agricultural production were created. Thousands of people flocked from other places to the Later Zhou for settlement.
他吸取前四代过分信任武夫的教训，留心人才，并力图革除弊政，采取了严惩贪官污吏、奖励生产、兴修水利、废除苛捐杂税以及免除牛租等措施，提高了农民的生产积极性，百姓从四面八方来周定居，社会生产得到发展。
In 954,the Emperor Taizu passed away, the next person coming to power was his adopted son Guo Rong ( the original surname was Cai, the nephew of the former emperor).
公元954年，周太祖死，养子郭荣（原姓柴，太祖内侄)继位（世宗）。
The new emperor was Shi Zong, who was an impressive statesman in Chinese history. He followed the path of the former emperor, developed the economy and strengthened his armies to the unification of the imperial China.
周世宗在周太祖改革的基础上，继续革新政治，训练军队，开始进行统一战争。他是中国历史上一位很有作为的政治家。
Shortly after Guo Wei died, Liu Chong of the Northern Han, who formed an alliance with the Khitan to attack to the Late Zhou.
周太祖死后，北汉刘崇勾结契丹一同出兵进攻后周。
Cai Rong took the personal command of the Later Zhou?s army and defeated Liu Chong at Gaoping (now Gaoping County, Shaanxi).
周世宗柴荣亲自率领军队在高平(今陕西高平县）打败刘崇。
Liu Chong fled with hundreds of his cavalrymen.
刘崇只带了几百骑兵逃走。
After this battle, Cai Rong began to think seriously of unifying the country.
此后，周世宗开始仔细思考统一大业。
With his territory extending as far as the northern bank of the Yangtze River, he succeeded in recovering a number of strategic points from Qidan, such as Ningzhou (now Ning coun-ty,Hebei) and Yijinguan Pass (Baxian County, Hebei).
后周的疆域南至长江北岸，向北收复了宁州（今河北宁县） 和一些重要关溢，如益今关(今河北坝县）。
All these achievements pave the way for the north to bring to an end the prolonged division of the country and to establish a central authority over all of China.
这一切都为后来北宋结束长期分裂割据局面，统一中国，准备了重要条件。
Worth noticing in this period of history was that the founders of three dynasties (the Later Tang, the Later Jin and the Later Han) all came from the Shatuo.
这一段历史，有一点值得特别注意,即在五朝之中，有三朝，即后唐、后晋、后汉的开国之君都是沙陀人。
Meanwhile, the Khitan and Tartars in the north became increasingly strong. The frontier commanders and the Khitan Tartars joined forces and formed a big military group, burying the seeds for a later confrontation between the Song, the Liao and the Jin.
同时，北方的契丹人亦不断强大，他们互相勾结利用，逐步形成了一股强大的政治力量和军事集团，为以后宋、辽、金对峙形成中国历史上第二个南北朝，埋下了深深的祸根。