- 来历lái lìorigin, background, history (of a person or thing)HSK 7-9
- 法老fǎ lǎopharaohHSK 7-9
- 贡gòng(bound form) tribute (in historical/vassal context); (bound form) contribution (in modern compounds like 贡献); (surname) GongHSK 7-9
- 哥伦布Gē lún bùColumbus (Christopher Columbus, explorer)HSK 7-9
- 梁liánga common Chinese surname; (historical) the State of Liang (403–255 BC, renamed from Wei in 361 BC); (historical) the Liang dynasty (502–577) and Later Liang dynasty (907–923)HSK 7-9
- 大帝dàgreat emperor (title for a great emperor)HSK 7-9
- 霸王bà wángXiang Yu the Conqueror (232–202 BCE), historical overlord of Western Chu; overlord, despot, domineering figure (in a field or context)HSK 7-9
- 伶líng(bound form) clever, intelligent; (bound form) performer, actor (in ancient China)HSK 7-9
- 史无前例shǐ wú qián lìunprecedented in history; having no parallel in the pastHSK 7-9
- 所罗门Suǒ luó ménSolomon (king of ancient Israel, or the biblical figure)HSK 7-9
- 考古kǎo gǔ(noun) archaeology; (verb) to do archaeological work, to excavate ancient sitesHSK 6
- 史前shǐ qiánprehistoric; relating to the prehistoric eraHSK 7-9
- 复古fù gǔto revive old styles, to go retroHSK 7-9
- 幕府mù fǔ(中国历史) military secretariat or field office of a general; (日本历史) shogunateHSK 7-9
- 廷tíngimperial court; central government (bound form)HSK 7-9
- 土司tǔ sī(historical) indigenous hereditary headman or chieftain system in minority regions; (loanword) toast (grilled bread)HSK 7-9
- 烈士liè shìmartyr (especially revolutionary or national hero who died for a cause)HSK 7-9
- 爵jué(bound form) ancient bronze wine vessel with three legs and a loop handle, used in rituals; (bound form) rank of nobility; peerageHSK 7-9
- 遗迹yí jìhistorical remains; vestiges; tracesHSK 7-9
- 帝王dì wángemperor, monarchHSK 7-9
- 悠久yōu jiǔlong-standing, age-old, time-honored (of history, tradition, culture)HSK 5
- 远古yuǎn gǔremote antiquity, ancient timesHSK 7-9
- 燕yān(bound form) Yan, an ancient state; also used in place names such as Yanjing and YanshanHSK 7-9
- 史册shǐ cèhistorical annals; pages of historyHSK 7-9
- 特罗伊tè luōTroy (ancient city)HSK 7-9
- 文艺复兴Wén yì fù xīngRenaissanceHSK 7-9
- 藩fānfence, hedge (in compounds like 藩篱); (literary) barrier, screen (in compounds like 藩屏); (historical) vassal state, feudatory (in compounds like 藩属, 藩镇)HSK 7-9
- 十字军shí zì jūnthe Crusades (the medieval military expeditions); crusade (a vigorous campaign for a cause); crusader (a person engaged in a crusade)HSK 7-9
- 宫廷gōng tíngimperial court; palace (of a king or emperor)HSK 7-9
- 京都Jīng dūKyoto (city in Japan); capital of a country (literary or historical)HSK 7-9
- 宫女gōng nǚpalace maid (in imperial China)HSK 7-9
- 老古董lǎo gǔ dǒng(noun) antique, old-fashioned object; (noun, derogatory) old fogy, a person who is stubbornly old-fashionedHSK 7-9
- 德赛dé sàidemocracy and science (as a paired concept from the May Fourth Movement)HSK 7-9
- 苦力kǔ lì(historical) coolie; manual laborer; strenuous physical work; hard laborHSK 7-9
- 羯jié(bound form) the Jie, an ancient ethnic group in northern ChinaHSK 7-9
- 陪葬péi zàngto be buried with the dead (as a sacrificial offering or person)HSK 7-9
- 苏俄Sū éSoviet RussiaHSK 7-9
- 日军Rì jūnJapanese troops (especially in historical contexts such as World War II)HSK 7-9
- 滑铁卢Huá tiě lú(proper noun) Waterloo (the town in Belgium / the famous battle); (figurative) a decisive defeat, a WaterlooHSK 7-9
- 殉xùn(bound form) to die for a cause, such as duty or love; (bound form, historical) to be buried alive with the deadHSK 7-9
- 纪念馆jì niàn guǎnmemorial hall, commemorative museumHSK 7-9
- 魏wèiname of several Chinese dynasties (e.g., Wei of the Three Kingdoms, Northern Wei); a surnameHSK 7-9
- 插队chā duìto jump a queue, to cut in line; (historical, PRC) to go and settle in a production brigade in the countryside (during the Cultural Revolution)HSK 7-9
- 国玺guó xǐimperial seal; state sealHSK 7-9
- 正统zhèng tǒngorthodox ideas/traditions that are considered correct and standard; legitimate line of succession, especially in dynastic historyHSK 7-9
- 石器shí qìstone implement, stone artifactHSK 7-9
- 妾qièconcubine (in historical context); (archaic/humble self-address used by women; equivalent to 'I' in a deferential, self-deprecating tone)HSK 7-9
- 太子tài zǐcrown princeHSK 7-9
- 玺xǐimperial seal (used by Chinese emperors)HSK 7-9
- 柏拉图Bó lā túPlatoHSK 7-9
- 乱世luàn shìtroubled times; era of chaos (war, upheaval)HSK 7-9
- 侍卫shì wèiimperial bodyguard, palace guardHSK 7-9
- 侍女shì nǚmaidservantHSK 7-9
- 文献wén xiànacademic literature, historical document (including research papers, archives, and scholarly texts)HSK 6
- 罗马帝国Luó mǎ Dì guóRoman EmpireHSK 7-9
- 郑zhèngsurname Zheng; name of a state during the Zhou periodHSK 7-9
- 古物gǔ wùancient objects; antiquitiesHSK 7-9
- 州里zhōu lǐ(ancient) administrative district covering a zhou and its constituent li; neighborhood, locality (in historical or literary contexts)HSK 7-9
- 陵墓líng mùmausoleum; tombHSK 7-9
- 世代shì dàigeneration (in family lineage; often implies 'for many generations'); era, age (historical or cultural period)HSK 7-9