| A | B |
|---|
| Confucianism | In China, a system of beliefs and behavior based on the teachings of Confucius, who said that people should live good lives by studying ancient traditions; stressed the importance of respecting one’s family and ancestors. |
| Dynasty | A line of rulers who belong to the same family. |
| Emperor | The supreme ruler of an empire. |
| Empire | A group of lands and peoples ruled by one government. |
| Grand School | A school begun by Confucian scholars in China that trained students for government jobs. |
| Levee | A wall built along a river bank to prevent flooding. |
| Loess | A fine, yellow soil that is easily carried by wind and rain, found in China. |
| Mandate of Heaven | The belief that the Chinese emperor’s right to rule came from the gods. |
| Noble | A member of a ruling family or one of high rank. |
| Seismograph | A scientific instrument that could detect earthquakes hundreds of miles away, invented during the Han dynasty. |
| Steppe | A dry, grassy, treeless plain found in Asia and Eastern Europe |
| Anyang | The ancient Chinese capital of the Shang dynasty. |
| Great Wall of China | A long defensive wall extending 1,500 miles through northern China; built between 1300 and 1600. |
| Huang River | A river that flows from the Tibetan plateau, across northern China, and into the Yellow Sea. |
| Northern China Plain | A large, lowland region of eastern China that is watered by the Huang River; birthplace of the Chinese civilization. |
| Confucius | Chinese philosopher who stressed the need to respect tradition; his teachings discussed the right and wrong uses of power. |
| Fu Hao | A Chinese king’s wife who led troops to war. Her tomb contained records of her life and times. |
| Wudi | Han emperor who ruled China from 140 B.C. to 87 B.C.; he set up a system of schools that prepared students for government jobs. |
| Province | A division of land within an empire or country. |
| Summary | A brief statement of main ideas. |
| Topic Sentence | A sentence that contains the main idea of a paragraph, often the first sentence in a paragraph. |
| Qinling Mountains | A mountain range in north–central China. |
