Ancient China Vocabulary

1. 
   Confucianism: In China, a system of beliefs and behavior based on the teachings of Confucius, who said that people should live good lives by studying ancient traditions; stressed the importance of respecting one’s family and ancestors.
   

2. 
   Dynasty: A line of rulers who belong to the same family.
   

3. 
   Emperor: The supreme ruler of an empire.
   

4. 
   Empire: A group of lands and peoples ruled by one government.
   

5. 
   Erosion: The gradual wearing away of soil and rock by wind, glaciers, or water.
   

6. 
   Famine: A widespread lack of food resulting in hunger and starvation.
   

7. 
   Grand School: A school begun by Confucian scholars in China that trained students for government jobs.
   

8. 
   Levee: A wall built along a river bank to prevent flooding.
   

9. 
   Loess: A fine, yellow soil that is easily carried by wind and rain, found in China.
   

10. 
    Mandate of Heaven: The belief that the Chinese emperor’s right to rule came from the gods.
    

11. 
    Noble: A member of a ruling family or one of high rank.
    

12. 
    Oracle Bone: In ancient China, a cattle or sheep bone used to predict the future.
    

13. 
    Province: A division of land within an empire or country.
    

14. 
    Seismograph: A scientific instrument that could detect earthquakes hundreds of miles away, invented during the Han dynasty (p.177).
    

15. 
    Steppe: A dry, grassy, treeless plain found in Asia and Eastern Europe.
    

16. 
    Summary: A brief statement of main ideas.
    

17. 
    Topic Sentence: A sentence that contains the main idea of a paragraph, often the first sentence in a paragraph.
    

1. 
   Anyang: The ancient Chinese capital of the Shang dynasty.
   

2. 
   Great Wall of China: A long defensive wall extending 1,500 miles through northern China; built between 1300 and 1600.
   

3. 
   Huang River: (aka The Yellow River) A river that flows from the Tibetan plateau, across northern China, and into the Yellow Sea.
   

4. 
   Northern China Plain: A large, lowland region of eastern China that is watered by the Huang River; birthplace of the Chinese civilization.
   

5. 
   Qin (chin): An ancient province in northern China that rose to power under Emperor Shihuangdi in 221 B.C.
   

6. 
   Qinling Mountains: A mountain range in north–central China.
   

7. Xianyang: Capital city of the Qin dynasty during the rule of the Emperor Shihuangdi.

1. 
   Confucius: (551-479B.C.): Chinese philosopher who stressed the need to respect tradition; his teachings discussed the right and wrong uses of power.
   

2. 
   Fu Hao: A Chinese king’s wife who led troops to war. Her tomb contained records of her life and times.
   

3. 
   Han Gaozu: A farmer-turned-general who, in 206 B.C., overthrew the Qin dynasty; he founded the Han dynasty.
   

4. 
   Shihuangdi: Chinese emperor who founded the Qin Dynasty and unified China with a standardized system of writing and money; his tomb contained the famous “clay army”.
   

5. 
   Wudi: Han emperor who ruled China from 140 B.C. to 87 B.C.; he set up a system of schools that prepared students for government jobs.