Song Dynasty Vocab

Merit-based tests on Confucian texts used to select officials; successful candidates became literate scholar-officials in the bureaucracy.

• Neo-Confucianism

• Civil service examination

• Filial piety

• Patriarchy

A philosophy emphasizing moral order, proper relationships, virtuous rulers, education, and social harmony.

• Confucianism

• Daoism

• Neo-Confucianism

• Buddhism

A philosophy/religion valuing harmony with nature, effortless action, and living in balance with the “The Way”.

• Confucianism

• Daoism

• Legalism

• Shinto

A Song-era revival that synthesized Confucian ideas with elements from Buddhism and Daoism; Zhu Xi’s commentaries became exam orthodoxy.

• Neo-Confucianism

• Civil service examination

• Filial piety

• Patriarchy

A hard, fine, white ceramic perfected in China; a major export prized for beauty and durability, with closely guarded techniques.

• Porcelain

• Stoneware

• Terracotta

• Earthenware

A drought resistant, fast-ripening, extra nutritious grain that enabled two harvests a year which boosted food supply and population.

• Millet revolution

• Champa rice

• Terrace farming

• Wet-field rotation

Government-issued notes used as currency, expanding markets and long-distance trade beyond metal coins.

• Copper cash

• Paper money

• Cowries

• Credit strings

Mass text reproduction by carved blocks; later, Bi Sheng created movable type with rearrangeable characters.

• Printing

• Calligraphy

• Woodcarving

• Engraving

A navigation tool aligning with Earth’s magnetism, improving maritime travel and expanding ocean trade.

• Astrolabe

• Magnetic compass

• Cross-staff

• Sextant

A Chinese mixture (saltpeter, sulfur, charcoal) adapted for bombs, fire-lances, and warfare in Song times.

• Black powder

• Gunpowder

• Greek fire

• Nitre paste