(literary) (of a woman) graceful and refined / comely / (esp.) slender / slim / (literary) (of a bower, a mountain stream or a boudoir within a palace etc) secluded
Xishi (c. 450 BC), famous Chinese beauty, foremost of the four legendary beauties 四大美女[si4 da4 mei3 nu:3], given by King Gou Jian 勾踐|勾践[Gou1 Jian4] of Yue as concubine to King of Wu as part of a successful plan to destroy Wu
top scorer in the palace examination (highest rank of the Imperial examination system) / see 榜眼[bang3 yan3] and 探花[tan4 hua1] / top scorer in college entrance examination 高考[gao1 kao3] / (fig.) the most brilliantly talented person in the field / leading light
Duke of Zhou (11th c. BC), son of King Wen of Zhou 周文王[Zhou1 Wen2 wang2], played an important role as regent in founding the Western Zhou 西周[Xi1 Zhou1], and is also known as the "God of Dreams"
to come first in triennial palace examinations (idiom, refers to the carved stone turtle head in front of the imperial palace, next to which the most successful candidate in the imperial examinations was entitled to stand) / to be the champion / to be the very best in any field
Sejong the Great or Sejong Daewang (1397-1450), reigned 1418-1450 as fourth king of Joseon or Chosun dynasty, in whose reign the hangeul alphabet was invented
South Gate to Heaven, the name a gate constructed on various mountains, most notably on Mount Tai 泰山[Tai4 Shan1] / (mythology) southern gate of the Heavenly Palace
Investiture of the Gods, major Ming dynasty vernacular novel of mythology and fantasy, very loosely based on King Wu of Zhou's 周武王[Zhou1 Wu3 wang2] overthrow of the Shang, subsequent material for opera, film, TV series, computer games etc
ferocious mythological animal, the fifth son of the dragon king / zoomorphic mask motif, found on Shang and Zhou ritual bronzes / gluttonous / sumptuous (banquet)
Great Sage the Equal of Heaven, self-proclaimed title of the Monkey King Sun Wukong 孫悟空|孙悟空[Sun1 Wu4 kong1] in the novel Journey to the West 西遊記|西游记[Xi1 you2 Ji4]
Investiture of the Gods, major Ming dynasty vernacular novel of mythology and fantasy, very loosely based on King Wu of Zhou's 周武王[Zhou1 Wu3 wang2] overthrow of the Shang, subsequent material for opera, film, TV series, computer games etc
Jiang Ziya (c. 1100 BC, dates of birth and death unknown), partly mythical sage advisor to King Wen of Zhou 周文王[Zhou1 Wen2 wang2] and purported author of “Six Secret Strategic Teachings” 六韜|六韬[Liu4 tao1], one of the Seven Military Classics of ancient China 武經七書|武经七书[Wu3 jing1 Qi1 shu1]
Cao Cao (155-220), famous statesman and general at the end of Han, noted poet and calligrapher, later warlord, founder and first king of Cao Wei 曹魏, father of Emperor Cao Pi 曹丕 / the main villain of novel the Romance of Three Kingdoms 三國演義|三国演义
The four tones
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