Ancient China Flashcards
jade
a hard gemstone
oracle
a prediction
lords
people of high rank
peasants
farmers with small farms
Confucius
most influential teacher in Chinese history
ethics
moral values
Confucianism
the ideas of Confucius
A Chinese philosophy that teaches that society will run well if people behave properly.
Daoism
an early Chinese belief that stressed living in harmony with the universe
A Chinese philosophy that teaches that a universal force, called the Dao, guides all things.
Laozi
the most famous Daoist teacher
Legalism
an early Chinese belief that people were bad by nature and needed to be controlled.
a Chinese system of thinking that taught that the government must use the legal system to control people’s behavior.
Shi Huangdi
literally “first emperor”, the title the Qin king Ying Zheng gave himself
Great Wall
a barrier built by the Qin that linked earlier walls across China’s northern frontier
sundial
a device that uses the position of shadows cast by the sun to tell time
seismograph
a device that measures the strength of an earthquake
acupuncture
the practice of inserting small needles through the skin at specific points to cure disease or relieve pain
silk
a soft, light, highly valued fabric made from the cocoons of silkworms
Silk Road
a network of routes between China and the Mediterranean Sea
diffusion
the spread of ideas from one culture to another
oracle bone
a piece of animal bone used to ask questions of and receive answers from the gods
pictograph
a simple drawing that stands for a word or idea
Mandate of Heaven
the belief in ancient China that a good ruler had the approval of the gods
dynastic cycle
the pattern of the rise and fall of dynasties in ancient China
philosophy
a system of thinking
filial piety
treating parents with respect
Qin
a state in ancient China; later the name of a short-lived dynasty
Han Dynasty
an important Chinese dynasty that ruled from 202 BC to 220 AD
bureaucracy
a government system of chosen officials
trans-Eurasian
across Europe and Asia
