The title, "Son of Heaven", was subsequently adopted by other Sinospheric monarchs to justify their rule.

The title held the monarch responsible for the prosperity and security of his people by the threat of taking away his mandate.

[8] Based on epitaphs dating to the 4th and 5th centuries, Goguryeo had concepts of the Son of Heaven (天帝之子) and tianxia.

[9][10][11] The rulers of Goryeo used the titles of Holy Emperor-King (신성제왕, 神聖帝王) and Son of Heaven and positioned Goryeo at the center of the Haedong (海東; "East of the Sea") tianxia, which encompassed the historical domain of the "Samhan", another name for the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

A divine mandate gave the Vietnamese emperor the right to rule, based not on his lineage but on his competence to govern.