Each entry lists English, Chinese characters, pinyin, and a one-line meaning. Bookmark this page and use Ctrl/Cmd+F while following The Bustling World — quick lookups beat memorizing Song–Tang vocabulary before your first farm plot or teahouse ledger.
How to use this glossary
While playing
Hear a building or rank name twice? Search here before pausing for a full article.
New here?
Start with A Fictional Dynasty Built from Song–Tang Sources.
Growing list
We add entries as trailers, tests, and new Culture articles ship.
Game & title
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bustling World | 烽火与炊烟 | Fēnghuǒ yǔ Chuīyān | International title vs Chinese title — “beacon fire and cooking smoke” |
| Beacon fire | 烽火 | fēnghuǒ | Border war signal; game shorthand for jianghu, armies, and power play |
| Cooking smoke | 炊烟 | chuīyān | Kitchen hearth smoke; game shorthand for farming, trade, and settled life |
| FireWo Games | 火娃娃 | Huǒwáwa | Chengdu developer; originally a two-person husband-and-wife team |
| Policy card | 政策卡 | zhèngcè kǎ | City-building mechanic for economic, cultural, or military rules — game abstraction |
| Dynamic city | 动态城市 | dòngtài chéngshì | NPC-driven urban change — migration, shops, grudges without a fixed script |
| Hook lock | 钩锁 | gōusuǒ | Grappling tool for rooftop traversal; wuxia-flavored movement verb |
Art & material culture
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gongbi | 工笔画 | gōngbǐ | Meticulous line-and-color Chinese painting; the game's core art direction |
| Xieyi | 写意 | xiěyì | Expressive ink-wash painting — what the game deliberately is not using for cities |
| Liubai | 留白 | liúbái | Negative space in painting; cited for clean streets and readable ground planes |
| Sanxuan'er | 三渲二 | sān xuàn èr | 3D rendered to look 2D/illustrative; technical pipeline label |
| Along the River During the Qingming Festival | 清明上河图 | Qīngmíng Shànghé Tú | Famous Song genre scroll of urban life; emotional target for market scenes |
| Yingzao Fashi | 营造法式 | Yíngzào Fǎshì | Song building manual (1103); modular timber and bracket standards |
| Dougong | 斗拱 | dǒugǒng | Bracket cluster under eaves; key architectural motif in sources and builds |
| Cloth physics | 布料物理 | bùliào wùlǐ | Full garment simulation on traditionally referenced dress — dev-highlighted feature |
| Seasonal cycle | 季节变化 | jìjié biànhuà | Weather and season affecting streets (e.g. snow keeping cart ruts) |
Society & daily life
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four occupations | 士农工商 | shì nóng gōng shāng | Scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant — classical social grid; “cooking smoke” paths |
| Scholar / literati | 士 | shì | Educated elite; exams and office work when the game allows |
| Farmer | 农 | nóng | Agricultural producer; planting and livestock loops |
| Artisan | 工 | gōng | Craftsworker — forge, weave, build components |
| Merchant | 商 | shāng | Trader or shop owner; competition and ledgers |
| Yamen | 衙门 | yámén | Local government office and courtyard; law, tax, and order |
| Teahouse | 茶坊 / 茶馆 | cháfāng / cháguǎn | Social hub for drinks, gossip, and deals |
| Pawnshop | 当铺 | dàngpù | Collateral lending shop; urban finance in trailers |
| Escort agency | 镖局 | biāojú | Armed courier firm guarding goods on the road |
| Funiu head | 幞头 | fútóu | Official or elite headwear with stiff wings — rank readable in art |
| Douli | 斗笠 | dǒulì | Conical bamboo hat; common laborer or traveler look |
| Zongjiao | 总角 | zǒngjiǎo | Child's hair knot; marks youth in costume reading |
Jianghu, war & power
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jianghu | 江湖 | jiānghú | “Rivers and lakes” — martial underworld outside official career tracks |
| Youxia | 游侠 | yóuxiá | Wandering knight-errant archetype; bounty and justice fantasy |
| Jiedushi | 节度使 | jiédùshǐ | Tang–Song frontier military governor; weak historical echo for warlord play |
| Mercenary army | 佣兵 / 雇佣军 | yōngbīng / gùyōngjūn | Hired soldiers for defense or conquest — beacon-fire scale play |
| City planning | 城市规划 | chéngshì guīhuà | Layout, zoning, and growth when you govern territory |
| Diplomacy | 外交 | wàijiāo | Negotiation between player factions or NPC states |
| Wanted poster / bounty | 通缉 | tōngjī | Outlaw status after crimes; jianghu consequence loop |
Myth & special sites (trailer)
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xiaoxitian | 小西天 | Xiǎo Xītiān | “Little Western Paradise” — ornate temple type shown in PV2; real sites exist in China |
| Diyu / Underworld | 地狱 / 阴曹地府 | dìyù / yīncáo dìfǔ | Traditional hell bureaucracy; myth layer in later trailers |
Concepts from our primers
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Historical practice | 历史实践 | lìshǐ shíjiàn | How pre-modern society actually worked — our Culture label |
| Artistic & textual source | 画作文献来源 | huàzuò wénxiàn láiyuán | Paintings and manuals the art team cites |
| Game fiction | 游戏虚构 | yóuxì xūgòu | Invented map, factions, and sandbox rules |
| Fictional dynasty | 虚构朝代 | xūgòu cháodài | No named real reign — room to play without a history exam |
| Song–Tang sources | 唐宋来源 | Sòng–Táng láiyuán | Material culture anchor period for art — not a confirmed setting year |
Missing a term? Tell us in article comments — we expand this glossary as The Bustling World Culture grows. For game-vs-source tables, watch for our Quick Reference article (Phase 1+).
Finished the primers? See What to Read (and Watch) for books and museum links — or revisit Beacon Fire & Cooking Smoke for the title's two paths.