Chapter 9 Vocab Flashcards
An Lushan
Foreign-born general who led a major revolt against the Tang dynasty in 755-763, perhaps provoking China’s turn to xenophobia.
Bushido
The “way of the warrior,” referring to the military virtues of the Japanese samurai, including bravery, loyalty, and an emphasis on death over surrender.
Chinese Buddhism
China’s only large-scale cultural borrowing before the twentieth century; it entered China from India in the first and second centuries C.E. but only became popular in 300-800 C.E. through a series of cultural accommodations. At first supported by the state, it suffered persecution during the ninth century but continued to play a role in Chinese society.
chu nom
A variation of Chinese writing developed in Vietnam, became the basis for an independent national literature; “southern script.”
Foot binding
Chinese practice of tightly wrapping girls’ feet to keep them small, begun in the Tang dynasty; an emphasis on small size and delicacy was central to views of female beauty.
Hangul
A phonetic alphabet developed in Korea in the fifteenth century
Hangzhou
China’s capital during the Song dynasty, with a population of more than a million people.
Heian
Japan’s second capital city (now known as Kyoto), modeled on the Chinese capital of Chang’an; also used to describe the period of Japanese history from 794 to 1192 C.E.
Jurchen
A nomadic people who established a state that included parts of northern China (1115-1234).
Kami
Sacred spirits of Japan, whether ancestors or natural phenomena; their worship much later came to be called Shinto.
Khitan
A nomadic people who established a state that included parts of northern China (907-1125).
Koryo
Korean dynasty (918-1392).
Kumsong
The capital of Korea in the medieval era, modeled on the Chinese capital of Chang’an.
Murasaki
Perhaps Japan’s greatest author, a woman active at the Heian court who is best known for The Tale of Genji, which she wrote around 1000 C.E.
Nara
Japan’s first capital city, modeled on the Chinese capital of Chang’an.
