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Ming
Ming , dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644. The first Ming emperor, Chu Yüan-chang (ruled 1368-98), a former Buddhist monk, joined a rebellion in progress, gained control of it, overthrew the Mongol Yüan dynasty, and unified all of China proper. He set up a strong, centralized government and carried out economic recovery programs. He abolished the office of prime minister, thereby strengthening the autocratic power of the emperor. The emperor Yung Lo (reigned 1402-24) moved (1421) the capital from Nanjing to Beijing, which developed into a magnificent city. The dynasty, which never created a viable taxation policy, always had fiscal problems. Seven great naval expeditions, under the command of the Grand Eunuch Cheng Ho, were sent at considerable cost to SE Asia, India, the Persian Gulf, and E Africa for tribute and trade (1405-33). These voyages ceased in 1433 and never resumed. Christian missionaries penetrated the Chinese hinterlands, and Europeans, such as Matteo Ricci , brought Western ideas to the Ming court. The Ming was generally a period of stability and prosperity. There were notable achievements in literature, philosophy, and the arts. Wang Yang-ming (1472-1529), the great Ming neo-Confucian philosopher, developed an activist approach to moral training and self-cultivation. The huge Yung-lo Encyclopedia (Yung-lo ta-tien), which included all major works in Confucian classics, history, philosophy, and miscellaneous subjects, was compiled in the early 15th cent. Four great novels, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, The Water Margin ( All Men Are Brothers ), Journey to the West, and The Golden Lotus, were written in this period. Drama in the Southern style, painting, and architecture reached great heights. The delicate monochromatic porcelain of the Ming period is often considered the finest achievement of Chinese ceramics. Incompetent emperors, oppressive taxation, and factionalism in government in the later years of the dynasty incited revolts among peasants in the border regions and prepared the way for the Manchu conquest of China (see Ch'ing ).
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"Ming." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Ming." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ming.html "Ming." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ming.html |
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Ming
Ming Imperial Chinese dynasty (1368–1644). It was founded by a Buddhist monk and peasant leader, Chu Yüan-chang (r. 1328–98), who expelled the Mongol Yüan dynasty and unified China by 1382. Under the despotic rule of the early Ming Emperors, China experienced a period of great artistic and intellectual distinction and economic expansion. Decline began in the late 16th century, and in 1644 a rebel leader took Beijing. A Ming general summoned aid from the Qing, who overthrew the dynasty and established their own.
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"Ming." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Ming." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Ming.html "Ming." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Ming.html |
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Ming
Ming (Chin., ‘light-bearing’).
1. Taoist enlightenment. According to Lao-tzu, it is attained by realization and acceptance of the return of all things to their proper root (fu). It is to live according to Tao, as rhythm and return. 2. The celestial mandate in Confucianism, the will of heaven (t'ien). Subsequently it came to mean the constraints in the universe which set limits on human action because they are non-negotiable (e.g. what might be called ‘natural laws’). |
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JOHN BOWKER. "Ming." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Ming." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ming.html JOHN BOWKER. "Ming." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Ming.html |
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Ming
Ming The Chinese dynasty founded in 1368 by Chu Yuan-chang after the collapse of Mongol authority in China, and ruling until succeeded by the Manchus in 1644. It was a period of expansion and exploration, with lasting contact made in the 16th century between China and Europe, and a culturally productive period in which the arts flourished. The capital was established at Peking (Beijing) in 1421.
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"Ming." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Ming." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Ming.html "Ming." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Ming.html |
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Ming
Ming / ming/ • n. the dynasty ruling China 1368–1644 founded by Zhu Yuanzhang (1328–98). ∎ [usu. as adj.] Chinese porcelain made during the rule of the Ming dynasty, characterized by elaborate designs and vivid colors: a priceless Ming vase. |
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"Ming." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Ming." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-ming.html "Ming." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-ming.html |
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Ming
Ming the dynasty ruling China 1368–1644. Also, Chinese porcelain made during the rule of the Ming dynasty, characterized by elaborate designs and vivid colours.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Ming." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Ming." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Ming.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Ming." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Ming.html |
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Ming
Ming •Beijing, bing, bring, Chungking, cling, ding, dingaling, fling, I Ching, king, Kunming, ling, Ming, Nanjing, Peking, ping, ring, sing, Singh, sling, spring, sting, string, swing, Synge, thing, ting, wing, wring, Xining, zing
•saying, slaying
•bricklaying • minelaying
•being, far-seeing, unseeing
•sightseeing • well-being
•blackberrying
•dairying, unvarying
•unwearying
•self-pitying, unpitying
•belying, dying, lying, self-denying, tying, vying
•unedifying • unsatisfying • outlying
•drawing • underdrawing
•easygoing, flowing, going, knowing, mowing, outgoing, showing, sowing, thoroughgoing, toing and froing
•seagoing • ongoing • foregoing
•theatregoing • churchgoing
•following • borrowing • annoying
•bluing, doing, misdoing
•evil-doing • wrongdoing
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"Ming." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Ming." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Ming.html "Ming." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Ming.html |
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