GLOSSARY
COURTYARD HOUSE (SIHEYUAN): Traditional Chinese architecture is centered around an open rectangular space, the courtyard, with multiple individual halls built on three sides. The more lavish the residence, the more courtyards and structures it will have. Mansions and palaces will contain many such courtyards, each with a different master or mistress.
A standard courtyard house has two courtyards: the outer courtyard and its associated halls meant for receiving guests, and a private inner courtyard and its associated halls that serve as living chambers. The private courtyard is always on the opposite side of the grounds from the entrance gate. Corridors run the outer perimeter of the yard, connecting the various halls, and may have seats installed in the railing. The courtyard itself may be simply paved or may contain gardens and walkways.
FOUR BOOKS AND FIVE CLASSICS: The canon of Confucian texts that became central to both primary education and the imperial examinations. The Four Books are: The Analects, The Doctrine of the Mean, Great Learning, and Mengzi. The Five Classics are: The Book of Songs, The Book of Documents, The Book of Rites, The Book of Changes (I-Ching), and The Spring and Autumn Annals.
GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS: Geographical regions are informal, nonadministrative regions that refer to a specific area in relation to a major landmark, such as a river or a pass, and will usually have a cardinal direction as a suffix:
· dong: area east of the landmark
· xi: area west of the landmark
· nan: area south of the landmark
· bei: area north of the landmark
· zhong: central, or the area in between two major landmarks.
For example, Jiangnan, “south of the river,” refers to the region south of the Yangtze river, and Guanxi, “west of the pass,” refers to the region west of Tong Pass.
IMPERIAL STATE EXAM: The system of examinations in ancient China that qualified candidates to serve as officials in state bureaucracy. Achievements in civil service and scholarship brought the highest prestige for any citizen, regardless of background.
JIANGHU: A staple of wuxia and xianxia, the jianghu (江湖 / “rivers and lakes”) describes an underground society of martial artists, monks, rogues, artisans, and merchants who settle disputes between themselves per their own moral codes.
JOSS MONEY: Imitation money made from decorated sheets of paper burned as a traditional offering to the dead.
LAWFUL AND COMMON-BORN RELATIONSHIPS: Upper-class men in ancient China often took multiple wives. Only one would be the official wife, and her lawful sons would take precedence over the common sons of the concubines. Sons of lawful birth were prioritized in matters of inheritance. They also had higher social status and often received better treatment compared to the common sons born to concubines or mistresses.
LUNAR CALENDAR AND ASSOCIATED HOLIDAYS: For most of Chinese history, years were divided into twelve lunar months of twenty-nine to thirty days, and certain festivals were held when the number of the day and the month matched. Examples include:
FIRST DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH: New Year’s Day.
THIRD DAY OF THE THIRD MONTH: Double Third, or the Shangsi Festival, is Maiden’s Day, a day to celebrate a girl’s coming of age.
FIFTH DAY OF THE FIFTH MONTH: Duanwu, commonly known as the Dragon Boat Festival, is a folk festival to ward off the evil that causes sickness and plagues. It also commemorates Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet who drowned himself in grief over the state of his nation.
SEVENTH DAY OF THE SEVENTH MONTH: Qixi is known as the Crafter’s Festival, a celebration of deft hands. Legend has it that a celestial maiden, the weaver girl, came to earth and married a cowherd. Despite wanting to stay on earth with him and their children, she was forced to return to heaven by her father, the Jade Emperor. The cowherd tried to follow her on an oxcart but was stopped at the Milky Way, a silver river cutting through the sky that separated the two lovers. On a single day of the year, Qixi, magpies swarm together and create a bridge that allows the cowherd and the weaver to reunite. Thus, Qixi is also known as a celebration of romantic love.
MEMORIAL TO THE THRONE: A carefully crafted essay presenting an issue to communicate to the emperor. Depending on the circumstances, it was sometimes directed toward certain officials as well.
QI AND ACUPOINTS IN MARTIAL ARTS: Qi is a vital force that courses through the body in channels known as meridians. Acupoints are specific spots on these meridians that are said to stimulate the central nervous system in characteristic ways. A martial artist cultivates the qi in their body and manipulates it as a form of energy, either to boost themselves internally or expel it as a form of attack.
QINGGONG: Literally “lightness technique,” qinggong (轻功) refers to the martial arts skill of moving swiftly and lightly from one point to another, often so nimbly it looks like one is flying through the air. In wuxia and xianxia settings, characters use qinggong to leap great distances and heights.
TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE: A holistic system of medicine used throughout most of Chinese history. Herbal remedies were boiled into decoctions or ground and applied as a poultice to treat injuries.