Ancient China Vocabulary

a desert area with very dry grasslands and no trees

• Silk Road

• steppe

• dynasty

• loess

a fine yellow soil that is windblown, causing the Huang He River to earn the name “Yellow River”

• calligraphy

• filial piety

• daoism

• loess

a form of government that gave all of the power to one leader

• feudalism

• legalism

• Daoism

• Confucianism

a means of written communication which is also an art form

• seismograph

• steppe

• calligraphy

• daoism

a class system where the king provided lands to lords for military support, and peasants worked the land in exchange for protection

• Daoism

• Feudalism

• Confucianism

• Legalism

a divine right to rule

• Daoism

• Legalism

• Mandate of Heaven

•  Civil Service

rule by a royal family

• Monarchy

• Civil Service

• Philosophy

• Dynasty

teaching of Confucius that called for children to respect and honor their parents

• Confucianism

• mandate of heaven

• legalism

• filial piety

a trade route covering 4,000 miles from the Mediterranean Sea through Asia

• Silk Road

• Dyansty

• Mandate to Heaven

• Civil Service

A person who works for the government. Emperor Wu Di increased the importance of education in order to acquire a job with the government. 

• Shi Huangdi

• philosophy

• Civil Service

•  steppe