| 世纪 | shì jì | century / CL:個|个[ge4] |   |
| 百年 | bǎi nián | hundred years / century / lifetime | |
| 年代 | nián dài | a decade of a century (e.g. the Sixties) / age / era / period / CL:個|个[ge4] | |
| 国语 | Guó yǔ | Chinese language (Mandarin), emphasizing its national nature / Chinese as a primary or secondary school subject / Chinese in the context of the Nationalist Government / Guoyu, book of historical narrative c. 10th-5th century BC | |
| 三国 | Sān guó | Three Kingdoms period (220-280) in Chinese history / several Three Kingdoms periods in Korean history, esp. from 1st century AD to unification under Silla 新羅|新罗[Xin1 luo2] in 658 | |
| 新世纪 | xīn shì jì | 21st century / New Century (commonly used name) | |
| 上世纪 | shàng shì jì | last century | |
| 近代 | jìn dài | 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) | |
| 诸侯 | zhū hóu | feudal vassal / feudal princes, esp. the monarchs (dukes or princes) of the several vassal states 諸侯國|诸侯国 / of Zhou during Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods 11th-5th century BC / subordinate warlord / local official | |
| 二十一世纪 | èr shí yī shì jì | 21st century | |
| 二十世纪 | èr shí shì jì | 20th century | |
| 客家 | Kè jiā | Hakka ethnic group, a subgroup of the Han that in the 13th century migrated from northern China to the south | |
| 侵华 | qīn Huá | to invade China (referring to 19th century imperialist powers and Japan) | |
| 无厘头 | wú lí tóu | silly talk or "mo lei tau" (Cantonese), genre of humor emerging from Hong Kong late in the 20th century | |
| 世纪末 | shì jì mò | end of the century | |
| 活佛 | huó fó | Living Buddha / title of Mongolian Lamas from 17th century | |
| 明末 | Míng mò | late Ming / first half of the 17th century | |
| 吐蕃 | Tǔ bō | Tubo or Tufan, old name for Tibet / the Tibetan Tubo dynasty 7th-11th century AD / also pr. [Tu3 fan1] | |
| 皮蛋 | pí dàn | century egg / preserved egg | |
| 摩尼 | Mó ní | Manes (3rd century AD), Persian prophet and founder of Manichaeism | |
| 晚清 | wǎn Qīng | the late Qing / late 19th and early 20th century China | |
| 罗宾汉 | Luó bīn hàn | Robin Hood (English 12th century folk hero) | |
| 下西洋 | xià xī yáng | to sail west (from China) (used in reference to the 15th century voyages of Zheng He 鄭和|郑和[Zheng4 He2] to regions bordering the Indian Ocean) | |
| 妲己 | Dá jǐ | Daji (c. 11th century BC), concubine of the last Shang dynasty king Zhou Xin 紂辛|纣辛[Zhou4 Xin1] | |
| 商代 | Shāng dài | the prehistoric Shang dynasty (c. 16th-11th century BC) | |
| 李冰 | Lǐ Bīng | Li Bing (c. 3rd century BC) hydraulic engineer who designed the Dujiangyan 都江堰[Du1 jiang1 yan4] irrigation system in Sichuan | |
| 反清 | fǎn Qīng | anti-Qing / refers to the revolutionary movements in late 19th and early 20th century leading up to 1911 Xinhai Revolution 辛亥革命[Xin1 hai4 Ge2 ming4] | |
| 尔雅 | Er3 yǎ | "Erya" or "The Ready Guide", first extant Chinese dictionary, c. 3rd century BC, with glossaries on classical texts | |
| 无着 | Wú zhuó | Asanga (Buddhist philosopher, c. 4th century AD) | |
| 亚齐 | Yà qí | Aceh province of Indonesia in northwest Sumatra / Aceh sultanate 16th-19th century | |
| 半世纪 | bàn shì jì | half century | |
| 张骞 | Zhāng Qiān | Zhang Qian (-114 BC), Han dynasty explorer of 2nd century BC | |
| 徐福 | Xú Fú | Xu Fu (3rd century BC), Qin dynasty court necromancer | |
| 列子 | Liè zǐ | Lie Zi, Daoist author, said to be early Warring States period 戰國|战国[Zhan4 guo2] / Daoist text in eight chapters, said to be by Lie Zi, probably compiled during WeiJin times 魏晉|魏晋[Wei4 Jin4] (3rd century AD) | |
| 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 | |
| 千字文 | Qiān zì wén | Thousand Character Classic, 6th century poem used as a traditional reading primer | |
| 蔺相如 | Lìn Xiāng rú | Ling Xiangru (dates unknown, 3rd century BC), famous statesman of Zhao 趙國|赵国 | |
| 广雅 | Guǎng yǎ | earliest extant Chinese encyclopedia from Wei of the Three Kingdoms, 3rd century, modeled on Erya 爾雅|尔雅[Er3 ya3], 18150 entries | |
| 松花蛋 | sōng huā dàn | century egg / preserved egg | |
| 初叶 | chū yè | early part (of a decade, century etc) / the first years | |
| 肉蒲团 | Ròu Pú tuán | The Carnal Prayer Mat, Chinese erotic novel from 17th century, usually attributed to Li Yu 李漁|李渔[Li3 Yu3] | |
| 卜辞 | bǔ cí | oracle inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC) on tortoiseshells or animal bones | |
| 西里尔 | Xī lǐ ěr | Cyril (name) / Saint Cyril, 9th century Christian missionary / Cyrillic | |
| 禹 | Yǔ | Yu the Great (c. 21st century BC), mythical leader who tamed the floods / surname Yu | |
| 舜 | Shùn | Shun (c. 23rd century BC), mythical sage and leader | |
| 杏林 | xìng lín | forest of apricot trees / (fig.) honorific term for fine doctor (cf Dr Dong Feng 董奉[Dong3 Feng4], 3rd century AD, asked his patients to plant apricot trees instead of paying fees) | |
| 巴枯宁主义 | Bā kū níng zhǔ yì | Bakuninism, a 19th century socialist theory | |
| 白陶 | bái táo | white pottery (of Shang Dynastry 16-11th century BC) | |
| 大禹 | Dà Yǔ | Yu the Great (c. 21st century BC) mythical leader who tamed the floods | |
| 叙利亚文 | Xù lì yà wén | Syriac language (from c. 2nd century BC) / the Syriac script | |
| 广韵 | Guǎng yùn | Guangyun, Chinese rime dictionary 韻書|韵书[yun4 shu1] from 11th century, containing 26,194 single-character entries | |
| 吐谷浑 | Tǔ yù hún | Tuyuhun, nomadic people related to the Xianbei 鮮卑|鲜卑[Xian1 bei1] / a state in Qinghai in 4th-7th century AD | |
| 新罗 | Xīn luó | Silla, Korean kingdom 57 BC-935 AD / one of the Korean Three Kingdoms from 1st century AD, defeating its rivals Paikche 百濟|百济[Bai3 ji4] and Koguryo 高句麗|高句丽[Gao1 gou1 li2] around 660 in alliance with Tang China / unified Silla 658-935 | |
| 张大千 | Zhāng Dà qiān | Chang Dai-chien or Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), one of the greatest Chinese artists of the 20th century | |
| 世纪末年 | shì jì mò nián | final years of the century | |
| 人间喜剧 | rén jiān xǐ jù | La Comédie humaine, series of novels by 19th century French novelist Honoré / de Balzac 巴爾扎克|巴尔扎克[Ba1 er3 zha1 ke4] | |
| 介之推 | Jiè Zhī tuī | Jie Zhitui (7th century BC), legendary selfless subject of Duke Wen of Jin 晉文公|晋文公[Jin4 Wen2 gong1], in whose honor the Qingming festival 清明[Qing1 ming2] (Pure brightness or tomb-sweeping festival) is said to have been initiated | |
| 傅说 | Fù Shuō | Fu Shuo (c. 14th century BC), legendary sage and principal minister of Shang ruler Wu Ding | |
| 元末 | Yuán mò | final years of Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) / mid 14th century | |
| 元末明初 | Yuán mò Míng chū | late Yuan and early Ming / mid 14th century | |
| 刁藩都 | Diāo fān dōu | Diophantus of Alexandria (3rd century AD), Greek mathematician | |
| 半个世纪 | bàn ge shì jì | half a century | |
| 南诏国 | Nán zhào guó | Nanzhao, 8th and 9th century kingdom in Yunnan, at times allied with Tang against Tibetan Tubo pressure | |
| 同文馆 | Tóng wén guǎn | Tongwen Guan, 19th century college that trained translators for China's diplomatic corps, established in Beijing in 1862 and absorbed by the Imperial University in 1902 | |
| 吐蕃王朝 | Tǔ bō Wáng cháo | Tibetan Tubo Dynasty 7th-11th century AD | |
| 吞米桑布札 | Tūn mǐ Sāng bù zhá | Tunmi Sanghuzha (6th century AD), originator of the Tibetan script | |
| 商纣王 | Shāng Zhòu wáng | King Zhou of Shang (11th century BC), notorious as a cruel tyrant | |
| 喀拉汗国 | Kā lā Hán guó | Karakhan Dynasty of central Asia, 8th-10th century | |
| 喀拉汗王朝 | Kā lā hán Wáng cháo | Karakhan dynasty of central Asia, 8th-10th century | |
| 基辅罗斯 | Jī fǔ Luó sī | Kievan Rus', East Slavic state that reached its peak in the early to mid-11th century | |
| 大明历 | Dà míng lì | the 5th century Chinese calendar established by Zu Chongzhi 祖沖之|祖冲之 | |
| 孔丛子 | Kǒng cóng zǐ | the K'ung family Masters' anthology, collection of dialogues between Confucius and his disciples, possibly forged in third century by Wang Su 王肅|王肃[Wang2 Su4] | |
| 尼雅 | Ní yǎ | Niya, ancient kingdom near Khotan in Xinjiang, 1st century BC-4th century AD | |
| 尾张国 | Wěi zhāng guó | Owari or Owari-no-kuni, Japanese fiefdom during 11th-15th century, current Aichi prefecture around Nagoya | |
| 帝辛 | Dì Xīn | Emperor Xin, last ruler of Shang (11th Century BC), famous as a tyrant | |
| 弗莱威厄斯 | Fú lái wēi è sī | Flavius (Roman historian of 1st century AD) | |
| 后半叶 | hòu bàn yè | latter half (of a decade, century etc) | |
| 提多 | tí duō | Titus (1st century AD), Christian missionary, disciple of St. Paul | |
| 摩诃婆罗多 | Mó hē pó luó duō | Mahābhārata, second great Indian epic after 羅摩衍那|罗摩衍那[Luo2 mo2 yan3 na4], possibly originally c. 4th century BC | |
| 斯坦因 | Sī tǎn yīn | Stein (name) / Marc Aurel Stein (1862-1943), British adventurer and archaeologist who explorer Xinjiang in early 20th century | |
| 新罗王朝 | Xīn luó Wáng cháo | Silla, Korean kingdom 57 BC-935 AD / one of the Korean Three Kingdoms from 1st century AD, defeating its rivals Paikche 百濟|百济[Bai3 ji4] and Koguryo 高句麗|高句丽[Gao1 gou1 li2] around 660 in alliance with Tang China / unified Silla 658-935 | |
| 明末清初 | Míng mò Qīng chū | late Ming and early Qing / around the middle of the 17th century | |
| 昭披耶帕康 | Zhāo pī yē pà kāng | Chao Phya Phra Klang, 18th century Thai politician and writer | |
| 普鲁东主义 | Pǔ lǔ dōng zhǔ yì | Proudhonism, 19th century socialist theory | |
| 东观汉记 | Dōng guān Hàn jì | History of Later Han dynasty, internal palace record by many 1st and 2nd century authors, 143 scrolls | |
| 柳条边 | liǔ tiáo biān | Willow palisade across Liaoning, 17th century barrier | |
| 杨业 | Yáng yè | famous Song dynasty family of warriors (c. 10th century AD), resisted the Liao 遼|辽 / and defended the Song / the subject of the popular fiction Yang Saga 楊家將|杨家将 | |
| 乐府诗集 | Yuè fǔ Shī jí | Collection of Yuefu Songs and Ballads, compiled in the 11th century by Guo Maoqian 郭茂倩[Guo1 Mao4 qian4] | |
| 橘录 | jú lù | classification of orange trees by 12th century Song dynasty botanist Han Yanzhi 韓彥直|韩彦直[Han2 Yan4 zhi2] | |
| 武丁 | Wǔ Dīng | Wu Ding (c. 14th century BC), legendary founder and wise ruler of Shang dynasty | |
| 毛遂 | Máo Suì | Mao Sui (third century BC), who proverbially offered his services to the King of Chu 楚, see 毛遂自薦|毛遂自荐[Mao2 Sui4 zi4 jian4] | |
| 漢末魏初 | hàn mò wèi chū | late Han and early Wei (roughly, first half of 3rd century AD) | |
| 乌鲁克恰提 | Wū lǔ kè qià tí | Wuqia county in Xinjiang / name of county in Xinjiang from early 20th century now called Wuqia 烏恰縣|乌恰县 | |
| 乌鲁克恰提县 | Wū lǔ kè qià tí xiàn | Wuqia county in Xinjiang / name of county in Xinjiang from early 20th century now called Wuqia 烏恰縣|乌恰县 | |
| 狄公案 | Dí Gōng An4 | Dee Gong An (or Judge Dee's) Cases, 18th century fantasy featuring Tang dynasty politician Di Renjie 狄仁傑|狄仁杰[Di2 Ren2 jie2] as master sleuth, translated by R.H. van Gulik as Three Murder Cases Solved by Judge Dee | |
| 真腊 | Zhēn là | Khmer kingdom of Kampuchea or Cambodia / Chinese term for Cambodia from 7th to 15th century | |
| 纣辛 | Zhòu Xīn | Zhou Xin (c. 11th century BC), last king of the Shang dynasty | |
| 羯族 | Jié zú | Jie people, a tribe of northern China around the 4th century | |
| 羯胡 | Jié hú | Jie people, a tribe of northern China around the 4th century | |
| 茶马古道 | Chá mǎ gǔ dào | old tea-horse road or southern Silk Road, dating back to 6th century, from Tibet and Sichuan through Yunnan and Southeast Asia, reaching to Bhutan, Sikkim, India and beyond | |
