A History of the World: Chapter 17: Imperial China

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. restore
    bring back into original existence, function, or position
    Tang rulers worked to restore a strong central government in China.
  2. civil
    applying to ordinary citizens contrasted with the military
    He brought back the system of civil service examinations. Once again, government officials were selected based on how well they did on exams rather than on their family connections.
  3. principle
    a basic truth or law or assumption
    The civil service examinations begun by Han rulers were based on Confucian principles.
  4. porcelain
    ceramic ware made of a more or less translucent ceramic
    Porcelain is made of fine clay that is baked at high temperatures. It is used to make dishes, vases, and other items.
  5. method
    a way of doing something, especially a systematic way
    The manufacture of paper led to another important Chinese invention: a method for printing books.
  6. transfer
    move from one place to another
    They carved the page's Chinese characters into the block. Then they put ink on the block and pressed a piece of paper onto it. The printers rubbed the sheet of paper to transfer the Chinese characters onto the page.
  7. calligraphy
    beautiful handwriting
    They used a brush and ink to write beautiful characters called calligraphy.
  8. steppe
    an extensive plain without trees
    They followed their herds as the animals grazed the large steppes of Mongolia. The steppes are wide, grassy plains that stretch from the Black Sea to northern China.
  9. unify
    join or combine
    Genghis Khan set out to unify the Mongol clans.
  10. terror
    the use of extreme fear in order to coerce people
    Genghis Khan and his Mongol warriors became known for their cruel fighting and use of terror. Terror refers to violent acts that are meant to cause fear.
  11. regime
    the governing authority of a political unit
    In government affairs, the Yuan regime did not use civil service examinations as was previously done in China.
  12. patriarch
    a man who is older and higher in rank than yourself
    Monkey comes upon a teacher, the Patriarch, and his students.
  13. disciple
    one who believes and helps spread the doctrine of another
    The disciples clapped and burst into loud applause.
  14. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    There was such a din that the Patriarch came running out.... "Who's making all this noise?" he asked.
  15. transformation
    the act of changing in form or shape or appearance
    "To tell the truth," said someone, "Monkey was showing us a transformation just for fun. We told him to change into a pine tree, and he did it so well that we were all applauding him."
  16. census
    a periodic count of the population
    One responsibility of officials was to carry out a census, or a count of the number of people in China. The census helped officials identify the people who owed taxes.
  17. novel
    an extended fictional work in prose
    During the Ming period, Chinese writers produced novels, or long fictional stories.
  18. ongoing
    currently happening
    Despite these benefits, Chinese officials complained that the ongoing trips cost too much.
  19. convert
    cause to adopt a new or different faith
    The Portuguese wanted to trade with China and convert the Chinese to Christianity.
  20. barbarian
    a member of an uncivilized people
    To the Chinese, the Europeans were barbarians, or uncivilized people.
Created on Thu Jun 17 10:17:45 EDT 2021 (updated Tue Jun 22 08:39:59 EDT 2021)

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