China and Japan Vocab

Question 1

Ming Dynasty

Answer 1

The Ming dynasty was the ruling dynasty of China—then known as the Empire of the Great Ming—for 276 years (1368–1644) following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty.

Question 2

Qing Dynasty

Answer 2

The Qing dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917.

Question 3

Examination System

Answer 3

System of competitive examinations for recruiting officials that linked state and society and dominated education from the Song dynasty (960–1279) onward, though its roots date to the imperial university established in the Han dynasty (206 bc–ad 220).

Question 4

Opium

Answer 4

A reddish-brown heavy-scented addictive drug prepared from the juice of the opium poppy, used as a narcotic and in medicine as an analgesic.

Question 5

Taiping Rebellion

Answer 5

A massive rebellion or civil war in China that lasted from 1850 to 1864, which was fought between the established Manchu-led Qing …

Question 6

Beijing

Answer 6

Beijing, China’s massive capital, has history stretching back 3 millennia.

Question 7

Treaty of Nanjink

Answer 7

A peace treaty which ended the First Opium War (1839–42) between the United Kingdom and the Qing dynasty of China on 29 August 1842.

Question 8

Taiwan

Answer 8

A state in East Asia. It is the nationalist government of China since its settlement in 1949. … Formosa is the Portuguese name of Taiwan, which means “beautiful” in Portuguese.

Question 9

Empress

Answer 9

A female emperor.

Question 10

Ci Xi

Answer 10

A Chinese empress dowager and regent who effectively controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty for 47 …

Question 11

Self-Strengthening

Answer 11

A period of institutional reforms initiated in China during the late Qing dynasty following a series of military defeats and concessions to foreign powers.

Question 12

Imperial City

Answer 12

A city (as Rome) that is the seat of empire.

Question 13

Porcelain

Answer 13

A white vitrified translucent ceramic; china.

Question 14

Boxer Rebellion

Answer 14

Officially supported peasant uprising of 1900 that attempted to drive all foreigners from China.

Question 15

Tokugawa Shogunate

Answer 15

The last feudal Japanese military government, which existed between 1603 and 1867.

Question 16

Commodore Matthew Perry

Answer 16

A Commodore of the United States Navy and commanded a number of ships.

Question 17

Meiji Restoration

Answer 17

A chain of events that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji.

Question 18

Consulate

Answer 18

The place or building in which a consul’s duties are carried out.

Question 19

Eta

Answer 19

The seventh letter of the Greek alphabet ( Η, η), transliterated as ‘e’ or ‘ē.’

Question 20

Edo

Answer 20

A member of a people inhabiting the district of Benin in Nigeria.

Question 21

The Hermit Kingdom

Answer 21

A term applied to any country, organization or society which willfully walls itself off, either metaphorically or physically, from the rest of the world.

Question 22

Isolationism

Answer 22

A policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries.

Question 23

Dutch Learning

Answer 23

A body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the country was closed to foreigners, 1641–1853, because of the Tokugawa shogunate’s policy of national isolation (sakoku).

Question 24

Junks

Answer 24

Discard or abandon unceremoniously.

Question 25

Queue

Answer 25

A line or sequence of people or vehicles awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed.

Question 26

Hsuan-yeh

Answer 26

Second Emperor of the Ch’ing dynasty, who ruled during the years 1661-1722 under the reign-title

Question 27

Philology

Answer 27

The branch of knowledge that deals with the structure, historical development, and relationships of a language or languages.

Question 28

Extraterritoriality

Answer 28

The state of being exempted from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations.