编注：中国是一个有着5000年悠久历史的文明古国，所有炎黄子孙都为之骄傲和自豪，但当跟外国友人介绍时，很多表达方式法都想不起来。以下是一些表述历史方面的常用词组、语法及句型等。Hope that's help!
相关阅读：中国文化习俗知识
Selected Vocabulary & Grammar for History of China
Time periods and expressions
时间、年代表述：
Century:a century is 100 years.
B.C.:1000 B.C means 1000 years before Christ. (Before Christ)
A.D.:1000 A.D. means 1000 years after Christ (Anno Domini-in the Year of our Load)
Circa:circa means around / close to a certain year
Decade:a decade is 10 years.
◆Language tip: The following phrases are useful when referring to dates.
时间表述常用句型：
In the first/second half of (the century/decade)
At the end of ……
From …… to……
Between …… and ……
During/Throughout this period (Not: at this period)
During the course of ……
By the end of ……
Historical terms and periods
常用历史词汇：
Verbs
Rule:Kings and Emperors ruled China for a few thousand years.
Defeat:The King of Qin defeated other states
Develop:During the Tang Dynasty literature and art were developed
Strengthen:The government strengthened the local economy.
Invent:The Chinese invented paper during the Han Dynasty.
Decline:The Qing Dynasty started to decline in the 19th century.
Expand:The government tried to expand international trade.
Discover:A Paleolithic settlement discovered in 1996.
Invade:In 1937 the Japanese invaded throughout the country.
Expand:Death was expanded throughout the country.
Nouns and phrases
名词及短语：
Dynasty:The Ming Dynasty was one of the most famous to have ruled China.
Era:Poetry was developed during the golden era of Tang Dynasty.
Influence:Confucianism has GREat influence on The Chinese character.
Science and Technology:Science and Technology were highly developed during the Song Dynasty.
Emperor:The First Emperor started the Qin Dynasty.
Revolution:Sun Yat Sen led a revolution against the Qing Dynasty.
Block Print:The earliest form of the printing press; developed by Chinese during the Tang Dynasty.
Paper:First appearing in 105 AD in China this invention is attributed to Ts’ai Lun who served under the Han Emperor Ho Ti. The art of paper making was confined to China for about 500 years
Porcelain:Chinese invention. A hard white translucent substance used to make ceramic vessels.
Compass: We use it when we travel---it can show us north, south, east and west directions.
Sorghum:Crop from the corn family; made into grain, it is the staple food for much of China.
Agrarian-centered/Agricultural:a society whose economy is based on farming.
Grand Canal:Started during the Sui dynasty and expanded during the Yuan Dynasty (Mongol Rule), the Grand Canal is a series of waterways which connect the city of Hangzhou in the south with Beijing in north. It is the world’s longest canal system.
GREat Wall:A wall which protected the land known as China proper, from attack. It is a 5,000-kilometer long wall, made up of the many walls around the seven states that existed before Empire was established.
Silk route:The ancient trade route which linked China and Imperial Rome. It was 4000 miles long and well protected, so trade caravans would not be robbed.
Scholar-officials:A well-educated class of people who were career officials. They performed duties for the state without any real power or land delegated to them; became widely spread and gained prestige starting with the Song dynasty.
The Long March:the most famous march of the communist army from Jiangxi province which covered over 8000km and lasted one year. On the way, the communists confiscated the property of officials, landlords and tax collectors, and redistributed land to the peasants.
Dynasties
朝代：
Qin:221B.C.-207 B.C
Han:206 B.C. 220 A.D.
Tang:618-907
Song:960-1279
Yuan:1271-1368
Ming:1368-1644
Qing:1644-1922
Manchu:People residing north and who conquered the Chinese empire. They established the last dynasty of the Chinese empire called the Qing.
Mongols:Invades who ruled China and established the Yuan dynasty.
Shi Huangdi:Chinese word which means “first Emperor”. The title<the first Emperor of China> was acquired which before that time was reserved for gods and mythological sages.
Vassals:Lords during pre-Empire China, who ruled large land holdings given to them by the king .
Xia:Supposedly China’s first hereditary ruling family. Unfortunately, no evidence of this exists.
Yuan:The dynasty established by Kublai Khan during the Mongol rule of China. The first alien dynasty to rule all of China proper.
Zhou:The last dynasty of Pre-Empire China
Beijing:The Chinese word for “Northern Capital:, the site of the city during the later dynasties.
Nanjing: The Chinese word for :Southern Capital”
Philosophical trends and schools
Legalist:School of thought which propagated a strict impersonal set of laws governing all human activity; to have an all-powerful ruler who would see that the laws are carried out, and to create social order with a centralized government based on health economy.
Confucianism:The teachings invented by Confucius, which were introduced into Chinese religion. It propagated devotion to parents, family and friends, expansion and training of the mind, self control. And fairness to other as well as the guidelines for civilized behavior.
Taoism:A school of thought developed by Lao-Tzu which teachers that the individual should ignore society and try and became one with patterns of the universe.
Universal Man:The Chinese high standard for what a man should be able to do, including the qualities of scholar, poet, painter, and statesman.
◆Language tips: The following phrases are useful when referring to dates and historical events.
历史事件常用句型：
⊙ what the event is called an give a translation or explanation:
It is known as... which means...
⊙ when and where the event took place:
It took place in...
⊙ what the history/significance of the event is:
It signifies/represents/symbolizes/means...
Grammar focus:
The relative and adjective clause (which/where/that/whose/who):
⊙When we want to explain the meaning of foreign words
e.g.1) Puer is a compressed tea which is served in bowl.
2) Marco Polo was European who traveled to China during the Yuan Dynasty.
3) Taiji is martial art which/that dates back 2000 years.
◆Language tip: When you can not explain exactly the word RELAX and THINK using other words and vague expressions such as a kind of and sort of.
e.g.1) Baozi is a sort of bun with stuffing.
2) Hutong is a sort/kind of system of alleys and traditional Chinese houses
