Ancient China Vocabulary

Ancient China Vocabulary

Copy down all the vocabulary terms on index cards. Put the term on the front and the definition on the back.

Pictographs - pictures or drawings that represent a word or idea.

Province - political divisions.

Civil service - the practice of using skills and talents to work in the government.

Ancestor - A relative who lived longer ago than a grandparent.

Dynasty - family or group that rules for several generations.

Philosophy- a way or thinking, or search for wisdom about the way to live life.

Nobility - high ranking social class.

​Huang He or Huang River - China's 2nd longest river, is the muddiest in the world.  Also known as the Yellow River.

Millet - a grain grown along the Huang River, part of the Chinese diet.

Loess - yellow-brown soil that blows in from the desert.

Chang Jiang River or Yangtze River - China's longest river.

Silk - a valuable cloth made originally in China that was made from cocoons of silkworms.

Silk Road - a 4,000 mile long network of  trade routes between China and Europe

Shang Dynasty - China's first dynasty, arose around 1760 B.C.

Bronze Age - the period during the Shang Dynasty which tools and weapons were made of bronze.

Oracle Bone - animal bones or shells used by the Shang Dynasty to predict the future.

Zhou Dynasty - this dynasty began when it conquered the Shang in 1027 B.C. and was the longest dynasty lasting over 800 years.

Qin Dynasty - In 221 BC this harsh dynasty was begun by Shi Huangdi, its leaders burned books and punished those who disagreed with their views..

Shi Huangdi - China's very first emperor.  The Great Wall of China was built under his rule.

Great Wall of China - a wall that was built to protect the empire from northern invaders. 

Han Dynasty - Began in 206 BC  and lasted until A.D. 220.  Han Dynasty was a more stable and less harsh dynasty that valued education, and exploration of new lands and trade.

Wu Di - under this emperor's leadership the Han dynasty reached its greatest power

Confucius - the most important and famous Chinese teacher and philosopher.

Confucianism - belief system based on the teachings of Confucius.

Daoism -  a philosophy that stresses living in harmony with the Dao, the guiding force of all reality; Daoists taught that the universe is a balance of opposites.

Legalism -  a philosophy that believes people are bad by nature and need to be controlled.

Mandate of Heaven - ancient Chinese belief that a good ruler had the god's approval.

Open Ended

Name the 2 major rivers in China?

Open Ended

The period during the Shang Dynasty which tools and weapons were made of bronze?

Open Ended

The yellow-brown soil that blows in from the desert was called?

Open Ended

The Chinese language was depicted through pictures or drawings that represented a word or idea -

what is this type of writing called?

Multiple Choice

China's first dynasty?

• Shang

• Zhou

• Qin

• Han

Open Ended

Based on the vocabulary terms you just wrote, tell me one thing that you are most excited to learn about from the Ancient China Civilization?