World History: 5. Early Civilizations of China, Lessons 4–6

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. standardize
    cause to conform to a norm
    To standardize is to set rules that make things more similar.
  2. uniform
    always the same
    Shi Huangdi made a uniform legal code across his empire.
  3. censor
    forbid the public distribution of
    He decided to censor, or ban, ideas he found dangerous or offensive.
  4. collapse
    break down, literally or metaphorically
    The First Emperor believed that his dynasty would last forever, but it collapsed about three years after his death.
  5. official
    of or relating to a place of business
    At each level, officials, that is, people assigned to a position in the government, took orders from those about them and gave order to those below them.
  6. assign
    delegate a task to
    At each level, officials, that is, people assigned to a position in the government, took orders from those about them and gave order to those below them.
  7. civil service
    the government workforce exclusive of military service
    A civil service is a system of government employees mainly selected for their skills and knowledge.
  8. envoy
    someone on a mission to represent another's interests
    Wudi and later Han emperors sent envoys, that is, representatives of the emperor, to create relations with kingdoms to the west.
  9. cuisine
    the manner of preparing food or the food so prepared
    The Silk Road also enriched Chinese cuisine; that is, the style of cooking.
  10. obtain
    come into possession of
    The emperor also obtained rare animals, such as elephants, lions, and ostriches, from abroad.
  11. exempt
    freed from or not subject to an obligation or liability
    Adult children would be punished harshly. Younger children, though, were usually exempt from punishment.
  12. monopoly
    a market in which there are many buyers but only one seller
    A monopoly is when a single group controls the production of a good or service.
  13. benefit
    something that aids or promotes well-being
    Despite the benefit of these policies, there were many problems.
  14. calligraphy
    beautiful handwriting
    Two other traditional arts were garden design and calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing.
  15. lacquer
    a hard glossy coating
    Lacquer is a protective coating made from the sap of a special tree. Han artists brushed it on wood or metal objects to create a hard finish.
  16. acupuncture
    treatment of illness by inserting thin needles in the skin
    Herbal medicines were one important treatment. Another was acupuncture, a therapy that uses needles to cure sickness and stop pain.
  17. seismometer
    an instrument for measuring movements of the ground
    One was a seismometer, a took to detect earthquakes. The seismometer was a metal jar that dropped small balls when a tremor from an earthquake was felt.
Created on Mon Jun 28 14:17:01 EDT 2021 (updated Tue Jul 20 11:37:07 EDT 2021)

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