Chapter 4 Flashcards
Loess
Soil deposited by wind; it is fertile and easy to work
Anyang
One of the Shang Dynasty capitals from which the Shang kings ruled for more than two centuries
Taotie
A stylized animal face commonly seen in chinese bronze
Logographic
A system of writing in which each word is represented by a single symbol, such as the chinese script
Book of Documents
One of the earliest chinese books, containing documents, speeches, and historical accounts about early Zhou rule.
Mandate of Heaven
The theory that heaven gives the king a mandate to rule only as long as he rules in the interest of the people
Shi
The lower ranks of chinese aristocracy; these men could serve in either military or civil capacities
Book of songs
The earliest collection of chinese poetry; it provides glimpses of what life was like in early Zhou Dynasty
Warring States Period
the period of chinese history between 403 and 221 BCE when states fought each other and one state after another was destroyed
crossbow
a powerful mechanical bow developed during the warring states period
Filial Piety
reverent attitude of children to their parents extolled by confucius
Ren
the ultimate confucian virtue; it is translated as perfect goodness, benevolence, humanity, human heartedness and nobility
Dao
the way, the whole natural order in Daoist philosophy. In confucianism it means the moral order
Legalists
Political theorists who emphasized the need for rigorous laws laid the basis for China’s later bureaucratic government
Yin and Yang
A concept of complementary poles, one of which represents the feminine, dark, and receptive, and the other the masculine, bright, and assertive
