Classical Literature & Poetry
In “Journey to the West,” who is the mischievous monkey king?
孙悟空 (Sun Wukong)
Which Qin emperor standardized weights, measures, and script across China?
秦始皇
The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates which historical figure, and what traditional food is eaten?
屈原; 粽子
Explain the semantic role of 氵 in characters like 河 or 海.
Water-related meaning
Which southwestern province is known for its spicy cuisine and panda reserves?
四川
Who wrote “The Analects” and influenced Chinese ethics and government?
孔子 (Confucius)
Which dynasty’s fall in 1911 ended over 2,000 years of imperial rule in China?
清朝 (Qing dynasty)
Name the festival celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month.
七夕节
What is the difference between 简化字 and 繁体字?
Fewer strokes / traditional strokes
In which province is Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) a famous local specialty?
江苏 / 上海
Which Tang poet wrote “Quiet Night Thought” and is famous for romantic/nature poetry?
李白 (Li Bai)
During the Han dynasty, which system selected officials based on merit instead of birth?
科举制 (civil service exams)
Which Chinese painter of the 20th century is known for ink paintings of shrimp?
齐白石
Explain the difference between 形声字 and 会意字, with one example each.
形声字 = semantic + phonetic (河); 会意字 = meaning from components (明)
Which province’s traditional architecture features courtyard siheyuan and hutongs?
北京
Name the author of 《三国演义》 who also served as a historian.
罗贯中
Name the three major philosophical schools competing during the Eastern Zhou.
儒家 (Confucianism), 道家 (Daoism), 法家 (Legalism)
In traditional Chinese calligraphy, what is the style called that uses fast, fluid strokes and is often considered the most expressive?
草书
Name a classical Chinese word that can act as both verb and noun depending on context.
ex: 行
Which region has a nomadic lifestyle, celebrating the Nadam Fair with horse racing?
内蒙古
Who wrote “Records of the Grand Historian” (史记) and laid the foundation for Chinese historiography?
司马迁 (Sima Qian)
Which Ming emperor moved the capital to Beijing and built the Forbidden City?
永乐帝
Huangmei opera comes from which province?
安徽
In classical Chinese, how is 乎 commonly used?
Question particle / preposition
Which province is known for tea culture and producing Longjing tea?
浙江