Final answer:
The Mandate of Heaven gave the Zhou kings the authority to command, contingent on their just governance. It justified the rise and fall of dynasties and did not prevent the overthrow of rulers who had lost the mandate due to misrule.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mandate of Heaven is a concept that originated with the Zhou dynasty and has influenced Chinese governance and culture for centuries. It posits that a ruler's authority to govern is granted by divine favor but can be revoked if the ruler becomes unjust or fails to fulfill their duties. This idea legitimizes both the establishment of a just ruler and the overthrow of an unworthy one. From the historical context provided, it seems that the accurate statement about the Mandate of Heaven is that it gave the Zhou kings authority to command. This divine right to rule was contingent upon the ruler maintaining heaven's favor through just and moral governance. The Mandate did not declare the king himself as divine, nor did it put an end to dynastic cycles; instead, it provided a mechanism for the rise and fall of dynasties. Also, it did not forbid the overthrow of the ruling king; in fact, it justified the replacement of a ruler if they were seen as having lost the Mandate of Heaven due to misrule.