Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

History 103 > Midterm 1 > Flashcards

Midterm 1 Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
AP® U.S. History flashcards European History 101 flashcards AP® European History flashcards AP® World History flashcards World History 102 flashcards U.S. History 102 flashcards World History 101 flashcards U.S. History 101 flashcards
1
Q

Oracle bones

A

Undershells of tortoises or shoulder blades of oxen used in divination ceremonies. Earliest form of Chinese writing as they often kept these bones as a form of archive.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Civil service examination

A

System of testing designed to select candidates for appointment as bureaucrats in the government. Important vehicle of social mobility in imperial China.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Eunuch

A

Someone who has been castrated. Often employed as high-ranking civil servants or worked in the palace, wielding some varying amounts of power throughout history.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Qin (Ch’in)

A

Ancient Chinese state during the Warring States period. Unified other states into “China” through legalist reforms and standardized writing, currency and many other things.

Gave people the idea of a unified “China”.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Soft state

A

State with a weaker control of affairs within it’s borders. Existed mostly in early Chinese history.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

The Book of Songs (Book of Odes, Shi jing).

A

One of the “Five Classics” traditionally said to have been compiled by Confucius. Studied and memorized by scholars in China, and used to inform and validate literature, education and political affairs.

Burnt and suppressed by Qin Shi Huang.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Mandate of Heaven

A

Chinese political philosophy used to legitimize the rule of a King or Emperor. Often used as justification for actions to overthrow a previous dynasty after a rebellion has been successful.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Xiongnu

A

Tribal confederation of nomadic peoples north of China. Great Wall was built to seperate them and Han China often created marriage alliances and sent tribute to the Xiongnu.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Consort Families

A

Families who are in-laws with the emperor.

Usually held a degree of political or military power as they helped the emperor govern the country. But their power also had to be checked.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Tang code

A

Penal code established and used during the Tang dynasty. Served as a model for subsequent dynastic codes of law.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Khubilai Khan (Qubilai)

A

Mongolian general and grandson of Genghis Khan. Conquered the Song dynasty and established the Yuan dynasty.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Silk Road

A

Ancient trade route linking China with the West. Carried goods and ideas between the East and the West.

Silk went West and wools, gold, and silver went East. China also received Nestorian Christianity and Buddhism via the Silk Road.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Khitan

A

Nomadic people who founded the Liao Dynasty in the north of China.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Interactive spheres thesis

A

Argues that Yangshao culture was just one of many cultures that gave birth to Chinese civilization.

Revision of nuclear area thesis, which argues Chinese civilization descended from Yangshao culture.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Great Wall

A

Series of fortifications built along the borders of northern China as protection against various nomadic groups. Marked the border between “Chinese” settled farmers, and “barbaric” nomads.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Dunhuang

A

A city in Gansu province in Northwestern China. Had logistical and strategic importance as one of the first trading cities encountered by merchants arriving to China from the West.

Also ancient site of Buddhist religious activity.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Terracotta Warriors

A

Collection of sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang. Buried with along with him.

Shows the beliefs of people held about life after death and shows the technology the Chinese had at the time (anti-oxidation treatments for weapons etc).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Ten Abominations

A

List of the most serious offenses under traditional Chinese law. Part of the Tang code.

Provided the legal basis for punishing treason or “plotting great sedition”. Involving punishing an incriminated person’s entire family.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Decapitation

A

A form of execution where you cut off the head of the person.

Considered a very severe form of punishment as according to Confucian tradition, it was disrespectful to return bodies to their graves dismembered.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Four Noble Truths

A

Foundational tenets of Buddhism / the basis of Buddha’s teachings.

Promoted the development of Chinese philosophy/ethics.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Sanskrit

A

Old Indo-Aryan language from which many Indian languages are derived.

Key language in which many Buddhist and Hindu texts and scriptures are written in.

22
Q

Grand Canal

A

Series of constructed waterways in China that link Hangzhou to Beijing.

Enabled Chinese regimes to transport surplus grain to support their armies in the north.

23
Q

Shakyamuni

A

A Indian prince who became the founder of Buddhism/Buddha.

Promoted the development of Chinese philosophy/ethics/popular belief.

24
Q

Empress Wu (Wu Zhao, Wu Zetian).

A

The only woman to have become emperor, ruled during the Tang dynasty.

Promoted Buddhism as the state religion. Conquered lands in Central Asia and Korea.

25
Q

Chang’an

A

Capital of China during the Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties.

Easter departure point of the silk road and therefore a hub of diverse ethnic identities and religious beliefs.

26
Q

Peking Man

A

Extinct remains of a Homo Erectus found near Beijing. Allowed Chinese patriots to claim it as a direct ancestor of modern Chinese.

27
Q

An Lushan

A

General in the Tang dynasty who started the An Lushan rebellion. One of the key events which triggered the fall of the Tang dynasty.

28
Q

New Policies

A

Series of reforms in the Song dynasty proposed by Wang Anshi. Song dynasty attempt to cut government expenditure and strengthen military.

dream of Northern conquest?

29
Q

Autumn assizes

A

System of judicial review concerning serious criminal cases demanding the death penalty.

Needed the consent of the emperor. Showcased the absolute power the emperor had over life and death.

30
Q

Liao

A

Dynasty established by the nomadic Khitan people after the fall of the Tang dynasty. Acted as a center for mutual exchange of culture between Chinese and the northern peoples.

31
Q

Kumarajiva

A

Buddhist monk considered one of the greatest translators of Buddhist scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese.

Played a key role in the dissemination of Buddhist thought in China.

32
Q

Yuan dynasty

A

A Mongol dynasty established by Kublai Khan.

Key period in which technologies and ideas from other regions ruled by the Mongols made their way to China.

33
Q

Woodblock printing

A

Technique for printing text or images originating in the Tang dynasty.

Improved the literacy rate and helped spread different texts and books into society.

34
Q

Nestorianism

A

Christian sect that originated in Asia Minor and Syria.

Had significant evangelical success under the Yuan dynasty. Kublai Khan’s mother was a Nestorian.

35
Q

William of Rubruck

A

A French friar who travelled to the Mongol realm His accounts were generally acknowledged to be detailed and well-written and serves as a key piece of information about the Mongols.

36
Q

Mongols

A
37
Q

Mahayana

A

A popular branch of Buddhism arriving in China through the silk road. Played a key role in developing Chinese philosophy.

38
Q

Four-category system

A

System of social division in which people were divided into scholars, peasants, craftsmen and merchants.

Represented a form of social hierarchy.

39
Q

Ortoq

A

A merchant partnered with the state and aristocrats in the Mongol empire.

Allowed merchants to pool their resources allowing for long-distance trade.

40
Q

Dynastic cycle

A

A theory in which each Chinese dynasty reaches a political, cultural, and economic peak. Then, because of moral corruption, loses the Mandate of Heaven and is replaced by a new dynasty.

Used to describe a pattern in Chinese history and thus justify rebellions or coups.

41
Q

Ban Zhao

A

Chinese woman scholar and historian of the Han dynasty.

Wrote the “Book of Han” which became a model for future dynastic histories in China.

42
Q

Silk

A

Fabric made from the cocoon of a silk worm. Was a staple source of income for small Chinese farmers and was a symbol of wealth and power.

43
Q

Patriline

A

A line of descent through the male line.

Chinese surnames come from the Fathers. Emperors passed on their titles to their sons.

44
Q

Wang Anshi

A

Chinese government reformer in the Song dynasty who implemented the New Policies.

Strengthened the military power and finances of the State.

45
Q

Zhao Mengfu

A

Chinese painter and calligrapher in the Mongol court. Regarded as the greatest painter of the Yuan dynasty, created the modern Chinese landscape painting.

46
Q

Sanxingdui

A

Bronze age culture in the Sichuan Basin.

Showed that Chinese civilizations in the Yellow river were not the only ones at that time.

47
Q

Bureaucracy

A

Government characterized by specialization, adherence to rules, and a hierarchy of authority.

Provided one of the major outlets of social mobility in Chinese society.

48
Q

Silver

A

Played a major role in the Chinese economy.

49
Q

Neo-Confucianism

A

Confucian religious movement in response to the ideas of Buddhism and Daoism.

Important for Bureaucratic exams, key part of Chinese philosophy.

50
Q

Qingming Scroll

A

Painting during the Song Dynasty capturing the daily life and landscape of the city.

Important record of what life during the Song dynasty was like.

History 103 (2 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions