Ancient China

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ANCIENT CHINA QUIZLET. WHAT DID U THINK?

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Silk Road: The Silk Road, or Silk Routes, are an extensive interconnected network of trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean world, including North Africa and Europe.
Shang: The Shang Dynasty (Chinese: 商朝) or Yin Dynasty (殷代) was according to traditional sources the second Chinese dynasty. They ruled in the northeastern region of the area known as "China proper", in the Yellow River valley. According to traditional longer chronology, based upon calculations by Liu Xin the Shang ruled between 1766 BCE and 1122 BCE, however according to the shorter chronology based upon the Bamboo Annals between 1556 BCE and 1046 BCE. The results of the Xia Shang Zhou Chronology Project places them between 1600 BCE and 1046 BCE. According to historical tradition the Shang Dynasty followed the (possibly mythical) Xia Dynasty and preceded the Zhou Dynasty. Direct information about the Shang Dynasty comes from Shang inscriptions on bronze artifacts, but mainly from oracle bones—turtle shells, cattle scapulae or other bones on which were written the first significant corpus of recorded Chinese characters. Other sources on the Shang come from historical records of the later Zhou Dynasty and the Han Dynasty Shiji by Sima Qian.
warlord: a military leader, esp. of a warlike nation.
Chang Jiang: Changjin is a mountainous county in South Hamgyong province, North Korea.
Mandate of Heaven: The Mandate of Heaven (天命 Pīnyīn: Tiānmìng) is a traditional Chinese philosophical concept concerning the legitimacy of rulers. Heaven would bless the authority of a just ruler, but would be displeased with a despotic ruler and would withdraw its mandate. The Mandate of Heaven would then transfer to those who would rule best.
missionary: a person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, as educational or hospital work.
peasant: a member of a class of persons, as in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, who are small farmers or farm laborers of low social rank.
Shi Huangdi: Qin Shi Huang (259 BC - September 10, 210 BC), personal name Yíng Zhèng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BCE to 221 BCE (during the Warring States Period). He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BCE. He ruled until his death in 210 BCE, calling himself the First Emperor (). He was known for the introduction of Legalism and also for unifying China.
extended family: loosely) one's family conceived of as including aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, and sometimes close friends and colleagues.
philosopher: a person who is deeply versed in philosophy.
Huang He: The Huang He is the world's sixth-longest river at 3,395 miles. Its source is the Kunlun Mountains, in western China. Its mouth is the Gulf of Bohai.
Wudi: Emperor Wu of Han (simplified Chinese: 汉武帝; traditional Chinese: 漢武帝; pinyin: hànwǔdì; Wade-Giles: Wu Ti), (156 BC[1]-March 29, 87 BC), personal name Liu Che (劉徹), was the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty in China, ruling from 141 BC to 87 BC. Emperor Wu is best remembered for the vast territorial expansion that occurred under his reign, as well as the strong and centralized Confucian state he organized. He is cited in Chinese history as one of the greatest emperors of the Han dynasty. Emperor Wu's effective governance made China the most powerful country in the world.[2] As a military campaigner, Emperor Wu led Han China through its greatest expansion — at its height, the Empire's borders spanned from the modern Kyrgyzstan in the west, to the northern Korea in the northeast, and to northern Vietnam in the south. Emperor Wu successfully repelled the nomadic Xiongnu from systematically raiding northern China and dispatched his envoy Zhang Qian in 139 BC to seek an alliance with the Yuezhi of modern Uzbekistan. This resulted in further missions to Central Asia. Although historical records do not describe him as a follower of Buddhism, exchanges probably occurred as a consequence of these embassies, and there are suggestions that he received Buddhist statues from central Asia, as depicted in Mogao Caves murals.
ancestor: A deceased realtive.
Confucianism: Confucianism (Chinese: 儒家; pinyin: Rújiā) is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (Kǒng Fūzǐ, or K'ung-fu-tzu, lit. "Master Kung", 551-479 BCE). It focuses on human morality and right action. Confucianism is a complex system of moral, social, political, philosophical, and quasi-religious thought that has had tremendous influence on the culture and history of East Asia. It might be considered a state religion of some East Asian countries, because of governmental promotion of Confucian values.
King Wu: King Wu of Zhou (Chinese: 周武王; pinyin: zhōu wŭ wáng) or King Wu of Chou was the first sovereign, or ruler of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. Various sources quoted that he died at the age of 93, 54 or 43. He was considered a just and able leader. Zhou Gong Dan was one of his brothers.
Ying & Yang: In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin yang (simplified Chinese: 阴阳; traditional Chinese: 陰陽; pinyin: yīnyáng - often referred to in the west as yin and yang) is used to describe how seemingly opposing forces are bound together, intertwined, and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn. The concept lies at the heart of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of traditional Chinese medicine,[1] and a central principle of several forms of martial arts and exercise, such as taijiquan, gung fu and qigong. Many natural dualities - e.g. dark and light, female and male, low and high - are cast in Chinese thought as yin yang.
ambassador: a diplomatic official of the highest rank sent by a government to represent it on a temporary mission, as for negotiating a treaty.
plateau: a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons.
Han: The Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. The Han Dynasty was ruled by the prominent family known as the Liu clan. The reign of the Han Dynasty, lasting over 401 years, is commonly considered within China to be one of the greatest periods in the history of China. To this day, the ethnic majority of China still refer to themselves as the "Han people".
Zhou: The Zhou Dynasty (POJ: Chiu Tiau; 1122 BC to 256 BC) was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history—though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou. During the Zhou, the use of iron was introduced to China, while this period of Chinese history produced what many consider the zenith of Chinese bronze-ware making. The dynasty also spans the period in which the written script evolved from the ancient stage as seen in early Western Zhou bronze inscriptions, to the beginnings of the modern stage, in the form of the archaic clerical script of the late Warring States period.
Daosim Taosim: Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊ.ɪ.zəm/ or /ˈtaʊ.ɪ.zəm/; also spelled Daoism) refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts. These traditions have influenced East Asia for over two thousand years and some have spread internationally.[1] The Chinese character Tao 道 (or Dao, depending on the romanization scheme) means "path" or "way", although in Chinese religion and philosophy it has taken on more abstract meanings. Taoist propriety and ethics emphasize the Three Jewels of the Tao: compassion, moderation, and humility. Taoist thought focuses on health, longevity, immortality, wu wei (non-action) and spontaneity.
Sima Qian: Sima Qian (ca. 145 or 135 BC-86 BC) was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes (太史令) of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography because of his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian (史記), an overview of the history of China covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to Emperor Han Wudi (漢武帝). His definitive work laid the foundation for later Chinese historiography. His descendants such as Sima Yan would later go on to found the Jin Dynasty (265-420) and become Emperors of China after the end of the Three Kingdoms Period.
Confucius: Chinese sage. Positive evidence concerning the life of Confucius is scanty; modern scholars base their accounts largely on the Analects, a collection of sayings and short dialogues apparently collected by his disciples, and discard most of the later legends. Confucius was born in the feudal state of Lu, in modern Shandong prov. Distressed by the constant warfare between the Chinese states and by the venality and tyranny of the rulers, he urged a system of morality and statecraft that would preserve peace and provide people with stable and just government. He gathered about him a number of disciples, some occupying high positions, although Confucius himself was at most granted an insignificant sinecure, possibly because of his extremely outspoken manner toward his superiors. From about his 55th to his 65th year he journeyed to several neighboring states, but he was never able to induce any ruler to grant him high office so that he might introduce his reforms. Later tradition depicts Confucius as a man who made special study of ancient books, in an effort to restore an older social order. It is said that he was a minister of state and the author, editor, or compiler of the Wu Ching [five classics] (see Chinese literature). His supposed doctrines are embodied in Confucianism.
emperor: the male sovereign or supreme ruler of an empire
Liu Bang: A pleasant and broad-minded man, well known for his generosity and willingness to help others was Liu Bang. Liu Bang (memorable name Wei) was born to peasant parents in Pei County of Jiangsu Province during the late Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). As an adult, Liu Bang served as an official, responsible for the Sishui River.
oracle: a shrine or a place where responses are given
Pinyin: Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most commonly used romanization system for Standard Mandarin. Hanyu means the Chinese language[1], and pinyin means "spell sound", or the spelling of the sound.[1] Developed by a government committee in the People's Republic of China, the system was initially approved by the Chinese government on February 11, 1958 [2]. The International Organization for Standardization adopted pinyin as the international standard in 1979, and since then it has been adopted by many organizations worldwide. It will also be the official romanization system in the Republic of China (Taiwan) starting in 2009 [3][4]. It is used to teach Chinese schoolchildren and foreign learners the standard pronunciation of Mandarin Chinese, to spell Chinese names in foreign publications and to enter Chinese characters on computers.

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