Chapter 1- The Resurgence of Empire in East Asia- Vocab Flashcards
Buddhism
Religion, based on Four Noble Truths, associated with Siddhartha Gautama (563–483 B.C.E.), or the Buddha; its adherents desired to eliminate all distracting passion and reach nirvana.
Chan Buddhism
Influential branch of Buddhism in China, with an emphasis on intuition and sudden flashes of insight instead of textual study.
Confucianism
Philosophy, based on the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Kong Fuzi (551–479 b.c.e.), or Confucius, that emphasizes order, the role of the gentleman, obligation to society,
and reciprocity.
Daoism
Chinese philosophy with origins in the Zhou dynasty; it is associated with legendary philosopher Laozi, and it called for a policy of noncompetition.
Dunhuang
Oasis in modern western China that became a site of Buddhist missionary activity by the fourth century C.E.
Equal-field system
Chinese system during the Tang dynasty in which the goal was to ensure an equitable distribution of land.
Foot binding
A practice that involved the tight wrapping of young girls’ feet with strips of cloth that prevented natural growth of the bones and resulted in tiny, malformed curved feet.
Grand Canal
An elaborate project undertaken by Sui Yangdi; a network of existing artificial waterways that facilitated trade between northern and southern China and integrated their economies.
Gunpowder
Discovered by Daoist alchemists during the Tang dynasty experimenting with elixirs to prolong life. Military officials realized its potential and were using gunpowder in flamethrowers by the 10th century; primitive bombs by the 11th century.
Hangzhou
Capital of the Southern Song dynasty in the late thirteenth century.
Heian
Japanese period (794–1185), a brilliant cultural era notable for the world’s first novel, Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji.
Li Bai
The most popular poet from the Tang era, living from 701-761. He wrote light, pleasing verses celebrating life, friendship, and wine in Chinese cities.
Mahayana Buddhism
The “greater vehicle,” a more metaphysical and more popular northern branch of Buddhism.
Nam Viet
Early Chinese name for the modern nation of Vietnam.
Nara
A period from 710 to 794 CE in Japan during which the capital was moved to Nara (Kyoto) that resembled the Tang capital at Chang’an.
Neo-Confucianism
Philosophy that attempted to merge certain basic elements of Confucian and Buddhist thought; most important of the early Neo-Confucianists was the Chinese thinker Zhu Xi (1130–1200).
Nirvana
An Indian term meaning personal salvation that comes after an individual soul escapes from the cycle of incarnation.
Porcelain
A very light, thin and adaptable type of pottery that, when fired with glazes, became a highly valuable export commodity during the Tang and Song dynasty.
Qing Dynasty
Chinese dynasty (1644–1911) that reached its peak during the reigns of Kangxi and Qianlong.
Samurai
A Japanese warrior.
Shinto
Indigenous Japanese religion that emphasizes purity, clan loyalty, and the divinity of the emperor.
Shogun
Japanese military leader who ruled in place of the emperor.
Silla Dynasty
Important early Korean dynasty that flourished during the seventh and eighth centuries.
Song Dynasty
Chinese dynasty (960–1279) that was marked by an increasingly urbanized and cosmopolitan society.
Song Taizu
First emperor of the Chinese Song dynasty who reigned from 960 to 976 C.E.
Sui Dynasty
Chinese dynasty (589–618) that constructed the Grand Canal, reunified China, and allowed for the splendor of the Tang dynasty that followed.
Sui Yangdi
Second emperor of the Chinese Sui Dynasty, responsible for the construction of the Chinese Grand Canal system, who reigned from 604–618 C.E.
The Tale of Genji
Japanese literary work written during the Heian Period (794–1185 C.E.) by the aristocratic woman Murasaki Shikibu.
Tang Dynasty
Powerful and wealthy Chinese dynasty that ruled a vast East Asian empire from 618 to 907 C.E.
Tang Taizong
Chinese emperor (r. 627–649) of the Tang dynasty (618 to 907).
Uighurs
A nomadic turkic people invited by the Tang commanders to bring an army into China.
Wuwei
Daoist concept of a disengagement from the affairs of the world.
Wu Zhao
626–706 C.E. Concubine of Emperor Tang Taizong, who seized imperial power for herself in 690 after Taizong became debilitated.
Xuanzang
A young Buddhist Monk from China who traveled to South Asia to learn about Buddhism in 629.
Yang Jian
First emperor of the short-lived but effective Sui Dynasty which united China after centuries of division, reigned from 589 to 604 C.E.
Zhu Xi
Neo-Confucian Chinese philosopher (1130–1200).
