rivers and lakes / all corners of the country / remote areas to which hermits retreat / section of society operating independently of mainstream society, out of reach of the law / the milieu in which wuxia tales play out (cf. 武俠|武侠[wu3 xia2]) / (in late imperial times) world of traveling merchants, itinerant doctors, fortune tellers etc / demimonde / (in modern times) triads / secret gangster societies / underworld
the not-very-distant past / modern times, excluding recent decades / (in the context of Chinese history) the period from the Opium Wars until the May 4th Movement (mid-19th century to 1919) / capitalist times (pre-1949)
中都
Zhōng dū
Zhongdu, capital of China during the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), modern day Beijing
与时俱进
yǔ shí jū jìn
abreast of modern developments / to keep up with the times / progressive / timely
与时俱进
yǔ shí jù jìn
abreast of modern developments / to keep up with the times / progressive / timely
(in classical literature) young military officer of high rank for his age / (during the Cultural Revolution) young militant in the Red Guard / (in modern usage) rising star (in sport, politics etc)
modern history (for China, from the Opium Wars until the fall of the Qing Dynasty, i.e. mid-19th to early 20th century)
幽州
Yōu zhōu
Youzhou, ancient province in north Hebei and Liaoning / Fanyang 範陽|范阳 / ancient city near modern Beijing
益州
Yì zhōu
name of old state in modern Sichuan
燕国
Yān guó
Yan, a vassal state of Zhou in modern Hebei and Liaoning / north Hebei / the four Yan kingdoms of the Sixteen Kingdoms, namely: Former Yan 前燕[Qian2 Yan1] (337-370), Later Yan 後燕|后燕[Hou4 Yan1] (384-409), Southern Yan 南燕[Nan2 Yan1] (398-410), Northern Yan 北燕[Bei3 Yan1] (409-436)
四声
sì shēng
the four tones of Middle Chinese: level tone 平聲|平声, rising tone 上聲|上声, departing tone 去聲|去声 / and entering tone 入聲|入声 / the four tones of Modern Standard Mandarin
乌尔
Wū ěr
Ur (Sumerian city c. 4500 BC in modern Iraq)
笑林
Xiào lín
Jokes (title of an ancient collection of jokes, often used in the title of modern collections of jokes)
包拯
Bāo Zhěng
Bao Zheng (999-1062), Northern Song official renowned for his honesty / modern day metaphor for an honest politician
old place name (in Yan of Warring states, in modern Beijing city)
二十四史
Er4 shí sì Shǐ
the Twenty-Four Histories (25 or 26 in modern editions), collection of books on Chinese dynastic history from 3000 BC till 17th century / fig. a long and complicated story
平声
píng shēng
level or even tone / first and second tones in modern Mandarin
回纥
Huí hé
Huihe, pre-Tang name of ethnic group corresponding to modern Uighur
Yan, a vassal state of Zhou in modern Hebei and Liaoning / north Hebei / the four Yan kingdoms of the Sixteen Kingdoms, namely: Former Yan 前燕[Qian2 Yan1] (337-370), Later Yan 後燕|后燕[Hou4 Yan1] (384-409), Southern Yan 南燕[Nan2 Yan1] (398-410), Northern Yan 北燕[Bei3 Yan1] (409-436) / surname Yan
old name for Shenyang 瀋陽|沈阳 / in modern Liaoning province
拉瓦锡
Lā wǎ xī
Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794), French nobleman and scientist, considered the father of modern chemistry
伊州
Yī zhōu
Tang dynasty province in modern Xinjiang, around Hami 哈密[Ha1 mi4] / Illinois (US state)
函谷关
Hán gǔ Guān
Hangu Pass in modern day Henan Province, strategic pass forming the eastern gate of the Qin State during the Warring States Period (770-221 BC)
南西诸岛
Nán xī zhū dǎo
Ryukyu Islands / Okinawa 沖繩|冲绳[Chong1 sheng2] and other islands of modern Japan
卡斯蒂利亚
Kǎ sī dì lì yà
Castilla, old Spanish kingdom / modern Spanish provinces of Castilla-Leon and Castilla-La Mancha
厗奚
Tí xī
old place name (in Yan of Warring states, in modern Beijing city)
史景迁
Shǐ Jǐng qiān
Jonathan D Spence (1936-), distinguished British US historian of China, author of The Search for Modern China 追尋現代中國|追寻现代中国[Zhui1 xun2 Xian4 dai4 Zhong1 guo2]
回鹘
Huí hú
Huihu, Tang dynasty name of ethnic group corresponding to modern Uighur 維吾爾|维吾尔[Wei2 wu2 er3]
夏目漱石
Xià mù Shù shí
Natsume Sōseki (1867-1916), one of the first modern Japanese novelists
夔州
Kuí zhōu
Kuizhou, ancient area of modern Fengjie County 奉節縣|奉节县[Feng4 jie2 Xian4], Chongqing
官渡之战
Guān dù zhī zhàn
Battle of Guandu of 199 that established Cao Cao's 曹操[Cao2 Cao1] domination over north China, at Guandu (near modern 許昌|许昌[Xu3 chang1] in north Henan)
bà