Ancient China Unit Vocabulary

Front 1

Anyang

Back 1

a city in N Henan province, in E China: site of the ancient city of Yin, the center of the Shang dynasty, dated c1350–1027 b.c.

Front 2

Loess

Back 2

a loamy deposit formed by wind, usually yellowish and calcareous, common in the Mississippi Valley and in Europe and Asia.

Front 3

Oracle bones

Back 3

a group of inscribed animal bones and shells discovered in China andused originally in divination by the ancient Chinese, especially duringthe Shang dynasty.

Front 4

Ancestor Worship

Back 4

(in certain societies) the veneration of ancestors whose spirits are frequently held to possess the power to influence the affairs of the living.

Front 5

Filial Piety

Back 5

(in Confucianism) the important virtue and primary duty of respect, obedience, and care for one's parents and elderly family members.

Front 6

Feudalism (The feudal system)

Back 6

the political, military, and social system in the Middle Ages, based on the holding of lands in fief or fee and on the resulting relations between lord and vassal.

Front 7

Dynasty

Back 7

a sequence of rulers from the same family, stock, or group:the Ming dynasty.

Front 8

Mandate of heaven

Back 8

a political theory of ancient China in which those in power were given the right to rule from a divine source

Front 9

Confucianism

Back 9

the system of ethics, education, and statesmanship taught by Confucius and his disciples, stressing love for humanity, ancestor worship, reverence for parents, and harmony in thought and conduct.

Front 10

Taoism/Daoism

Back 10

the philosophical system evolved by Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu, advocating a life of complete simplicity and naturalness and of noninterference with the course of natural events, in order to attain a happy existence in harmony with the Tao.

alternative Romanization of Taoism

Front 11

Legalism

Back 11

strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, especially to the letter rather than the spirit.