Chapter 11: Civilizations of East Asia | Quizlet

scholar-gentry

in China, a group of people who controlled much of the land and produced most of the candidates for civil service

dowry

a gift of money or property paid at the time of marriage, either by the bride's parents to her husband or, in Islamic societies, by a husband to his wife

khanate

one of several separate territories into which Genghis Khan's empire was split, each under the rule of one of his sons

neo-Confucianism

a revised form of Confucianism that evolved as a response to Buddhism and held sway in China from the late Tang dynasty to the end of the dynastic system in the twentieth century

porcelain

a ceramic made of fine clay baked at very high temperatures

archipelago

a chain of islands

samurai

"those who serve;" Japanese warriors similar to the knights of medieval Europe

Bushido

"the way of the warrior;" the strict code by which Japanese samurai were supposed to live

shogun

"general," a powerful military leader in Japan

daimyo

"great names;" head of noble families in Japan who controlled vast landed estates and relied on samurai for protection

Shinto

"the Sacred Way" or "the way of the Gods;" the Japanese state religion among its doctrines are the divinity of the emperor and the sacredness of the Japanese nation

Zen

a sect of Buddhism that became popular with Japanese aristocrats and became part of the samurai's code of behavior; under Zen Buddhism, there are different paths to enlightenment

Theravada

"the teachings of the elders," a school of Buddhism that developed in India; its followers view Buddhism as a way of life

Mahayana

a school of Buddhism that developed in northwest India, stressing the view that nirvana can be achieved through devotion to the Buddha; its followers consider the Buddha a divine figure