Qin
Dynasty that came to power in China in 221 B.C. under which the first true empire of China was created
Confucius
Chinese philosopher (circa 551-478 BC)
laozi
the "Old Master" who encouraged people to give up worldly desires in favor of nature; he founded Taoism (Daoism)
zhou
People who overthrew the Shang Dynasty of China in 1122 B.C.
shi huangdi
emperor of the Qin dynasty
great wall
a fortification 1,500 miles long built across northern China in the 3rd century BC
han
Dynasty of rulers that ruled a centralized and growing empire in China
mean people
people who performed unskilled jobs and suffered from the lowest possible status in Chinese society, required to wear green scarves
daoism
philosophical system developed by of Laozi advocating a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events
silk road
an ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean (4,000 miles)
dynasty
a sequence of powerful leaders in the same family
analects
a record of the words and acts of the central Chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius and his disciples
five classics
A corpus of texts considered authoritative by the early Confucians. They include poetry, historical, speeches, chronicles, ritual, and divination, Texts used to train scholars and civil servants in ancient China
legalism
Chinese philosophy developed by Hanfeizi; taught that humans are naturally evil and therefore need to be ruled by harsh laws
era of warring states
civil wars among Chinese that caused suffering and philosophy
mandarins
members of the elite class of civil servents in Chinese government
patriarchalism
a sytem of social organization built around authority and power of fathers