Imperial China and Post-Classical History Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, concepts, dynasties, and social practices of Imperial China from the Chapter 1 through Chapter 8 lecture notes.

Confucianism

A philosophical system centered on morality, virtue, ethics, respect for authority and elders, and the belief that rulers must govern according to moral principles.

Mandate of Heaven

The Chinese concept of divine legitimacy used to justify dynastic rule, positing that heaven grants a dynasty the right to rule as long as it remains virtuous.

Filial Piety

The Confucian core value emphasizing respect, obedience, and devotion toward one's parents, elders, and family.

Dynastic Cycle

A historiographical model explaining Chinese history through recurring patterns where a dynasty rises with the Mandate of Heaven, grows corrupt, loses divine favor, collapses into war, and is replaced by a new dynasty.

Warring States Period

A period of intense conflict among competing Chinese regional states prior to unification by the Qin dynasty.

Qin Shi Huangdi

The first emperor of China who unified the country through military force, founded the Qin dynasty, utilized Legalism, built the Terracotta Warriors, and initiated the Great Wall.

Legalism

A philosophy holding that human nature is inherently bad and requires a strong military government and strict rules to maintain social order.

Han Dynasty

An ancient Chinese dynasty ruling from 2 BCE to 220 CE that established the foundational administrative institutions and playbook for an idealized Confucian imperial state.

Post-Classical Period

The historical era following the ancient classical world, roughly spanning from 500/600 CE to 1450 CE, corresponding broadly to the early Middle Ages.

Tang Dynasty

A post-classical Chinese dynasty known for military expansion far to the west, utilizing Turkic nomadic archers, and clashing with the Islamic caliphate.

Song Dynasty

The Chinese imperial dynasty ruling from 960 to 1279 CE, marked by Neo-Confucianism, major economic commercialization, population growth, and regional dominance.

Bureaucracy

A centralized body of professional administrators who execute day-to-day administrative tasks, law enforcement, and tax collection for a government.

Civil Service Exam

A rigorous entrance examination based on the exact memorization of Confucian texts, used to select administrative officials based on merit.

Meritocracy

A system of government or advancement where individuals are promoted based on their demonstrated ability and job performance rather than lineage or social connections.

Mandarin

An imperial bureaucrat, tax collector, or administrator in China who qualified for office by passing the civil service exam.

Scholar-Gentry Class

The dominant elite social class in imperial China comprised of educated civil servants who passed the civil service examinations.

Neo-Confucianism

A cultural and philosophical revival during the Song dynasty that syncretized Confucian ethics with Taoist and Buddhist religious ideas, reinforcing traditional social hierarchy, rationality, and meritocracy.

Middle Kingdom

The ethnocentric Chinese ideal that China is the center of the universe, superior to foreign barbarians, and self-sufficient.

Foot Binding

A patriarchal cultural practice beginning in elite circles during the Tang and Song dynasties involving the deliberate breaking and wrapping of young girls' feet to restrict growth.

Golden Lotus

The idealized three-inch foot length sought through foot binding, considered the ultimate symbol of female beauty and elite status.

Steppe

The vast stretch of grassland extending north of China across Eurasia, inhabited by nomadic pastoral tribes.

Great Wall of China

A series of northern defensive wall structures originally constructed out of rammed earth under Qin Shi Huangdi to protect China from steppe nomads.

Xiongnu Confederation

A powerful unified alliance of Central Asian steppe tribes that frequently fought with the Han dynasty.

Tribute System

A foreign policy and diplomatic network wherein foreign states paid payments, resources, or soldiers to China to acknowledge Chinese regional hegemony.

Commercialization

The economic transformation of a society as its economy becomes increasingly driven by long-distance and market trade.

Champa Rice

A fast-maturing, drought-resistant strain of rice acquired by Song China as tribute from Vietnam that enabled multiple harvests annually and triggered massive population growth.