Vocabulary
acupuncture - Chinese practice of easing pain by sticking thin needles into patients' skin
aristocrat - noble whose wealth came from land ownership
bureaucracy - a group of appointed officials who are responsile for different areas of government
Confucianism - system of beliefs introduced by the Chinese thinker Confucius; taught that people
needed to have a sense of duty to their family and community in order to bring peace to society
Dao - the proper way Chinese kings were expected to rule under the Mandate of Heaven
Daoism - Chinese philosophy based on the teachings of Laozi; taught that people should turn
to nature and give up their worldly concerns
dynasty - line of rulers from the same family
filial piety - children's respect for their parents and older relatives, an important part
of Confucian beliefs
ideograph - a character that joins two or more pictographs to represent an idea
Legalism - Chinese philosophy developed by Hanfeizi; taught that humans are naturally evil
and therefore need to be ruled by harsh laws
mandate - formal order
pictograph - a character that stands for an object
social class - group of people who share a similar position in society
