Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Qin dynasty

Qin dynasty

1 7.8
A Chinese ruling family from 221 to 206 BC that first united China and began building the Great Wall
  • proper noun
translation icon : dinastía Qin
  • Legalist philosophy greatly influenced the political structure of the Qin dynasty.

Examples

  • The Qin dynasty unified China under a single government for the first time in its history.

  • The Qin dynasty unified China for the first time.

  • Many sections of the Great Wall were originally built during the Qin dynasty.

  • During the Qin dynasty, the Great Wall began to take shape.

  • He established the Qin dynasty in the year 221 BC.

  • During the Qin dynasty, the first centralized imperial government was established.

  • The remarkable achievements of the Qin dynasty included advancements in infrastructure and legal reform.

Synonyms

Qin
vsQin dynasty
10 8.6

A Chinese ruling family that first united China and began building the Great Wall

is the fuller phrase rather than the shorter name
Ch'in dynasty
vsQin dynasty
8.5

An early Chinese royal family that united China and started building the Great Wall

notes a later start and only the beginning of wall building
Ch'in
vsQin dynasty
9.9

An early Chinese dynasty that united China and built much of the Great Wall

focuses on the dynasty beginning the wall rather than completing it

Surface Forms

Qin dynasty main

Morphology

Qin + dynasty

The label is compositionally transparent: combining the proper name 'Qin' with 'dynasty' straightforwardly yields 'the dynasty associated with Qin' (a succession of rulers), so a learner who knows both constituents will understand it refers to a specific ruling lineage. Specific historical details (dates, policies, Great Wall construction) cannot be inferred from the parts, but the core referential meaning is predictable and cross-linguistically regular.

Etymology

Qin dynasty gets its name from the old state of Qin, whose ruler united many small kingdoms in 221 BC to make the first single government in China. Because Qin set common rules, made one system for writing, money and laws, and began big works like parts of the Great Wall, the name Qin dynasty now refers to the first imperial government of what we call 'China'.