China: Rise of the empress Wuhou: However, Zhongzong’s wife, the empress Wei, initiated a regime of utter corruption at court, openly selling offices. When the emperor died in 710, probably poisoned by her, she tried to establish herself as ruler as Wuhou had done before her. But Li Longji, the future Xuanzong, with the aid of…

library: Cataloging by author and subject: …the 7th century the scholar Wei Cheng wrote the bibliographic section of the official Sui Dynasty History, dividing the books into four categories: Confucian classics, historical records, philosophical writings, and miscellaneous works.

Japanese music: Early evidence: …of the 3rd century (Wei zhi, 297 ce) does speak of the natives of Japan as singing and dancing during a funeral. That source also notes two traits well-known in Shintō today: a concern for purification and the use of hand claps in praying before a shrine.

Wei Zhongxian was a eunuch who completely dominated the Chinese government between 1624 and 1627, ruthlessly exploiting the population and terrorizing the official class. He is usually considered by historians to have been the most powerful eunuch in Chinese history. Wei’s career began as a butler

Wei dynasty, (386–534/535 ce), the longest-lived and most powerful of the northern Chinese dynasties that existed before the reunification of China under the Sui and Tang dynasties. The Wei dynasty was founded by Tabgatch (Tuoba) tribesmen who, like many of the nomads inhabiting the frontiers of

Xiaowendi was the posthumous name (shi) of the seventh emperor of the Bei (Northern) Wei dynasty (386–534/535), which dominated much of North China during part of the chaotic 360-year period between the end of the Han dynasty (206 bc–ad 220) and the founding of Sui rule (581–618). Xiaowendi

Wei River, river in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, north-central China, a western tributary of the Huang He (Yellow River). It rises in the Niaoshu Mountains in Weiyuan county of central Gansu province and flows east, first between the north-south-trending Long Mountains and the east-west-trending

Wei River, river in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, north-central China, a western tributary of the Huang He (Yellow River). It rises in the Niaoshu Mountains in Weiyuan county of central Gansu province and flows east, first between the north-south-trending Long Mountains and the east-west-trending

Shaanxi: Relief and drainage: This valley is a major geological trough, bounded on the south by a vast complex of faults and fractures along the base of the Qin Mountains; it is a zone of considerable seismic instability, especially vulnerable to earthquakes. The northern border of the Wei River trench…

Daoism: Official recognition of the Daoist organization: …six years later founded the Wei dynasty in the north. This resulted in official recognition of the sect by the dynasty; the celestial masters in turn expressed their spiritual approbation of the Wei’s mandate to replace the Han. Under these conditions a formal definition of the relations of organized Daoism…

Liang Chenyu: When his great actor friend Wei Liangfu developed a new, subtler, and quieter style of dramatic singing, he asked Liang to create a showcase for his new style. Liang complied by writing the Huanshaji (“Washing the Silken Gauze”), a kunqu drama that initiated the type of theatre that was to…

Liang Chenyu: When his great actor friend Wei Liangfu developed a new, subtler, and quieter style of dramatic singing, he asked Liang to create a showcase for his new style. Liang complied by writing the Huanshaji (“Washing the Silken Gauze”), a kunqu drama that initiated the type of theatre that was to…

Wiman Chinese general, or possibly a Korean in Chinese service, who took advantage of the confusion that existed around the time of the founding of the Han dynasty in China to usurp the throne of the Korean state of Chosŏn. He moved the capital to the present-day site of P’yŏngyang on the Taedong

Wei Mengbian was a Chinese mechanical engineer. He devised numerous wheeled vehicles, including a type of odometer and a south-pointing carriage. He also built a wagon mill in which rotation of the wheels drove a set of millstones and hammers that automatically processed grain. His mechanisms

Wei Mengbian was a Chinese mechanical engineer. He devised numerous wheeled vehicles, including a type of odometer and a south-pointing carriage. He also built a wagon mill in which rotation of the wheels drove a set of millstones and hammers that automatically processed grain. His mechanisms

Henan: Transportation: The Wei of northeastern Henan, flowing north into the Hai system, has been joined by the People’s Victory Canal to the Huang He. In 1964–65 it was successfully dredged in an experiment aimed at deepening the riverbed and so increasing flow and reducing waterlogging.

Wei River, river in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, north-central China, a western tributary of the Huang He (Yellow River). It rises in the Niaoshu Mountains in Weiyuan county of central Gansu province and flows east, first between the north-south-trending Long Mountains and the east-west-trending

Shaanxi: Relief and drainage: This valley is a major geological trough, bounded on the south by a vast complex of faults and fractures along the base of the Qin Mountains; it is a zone of considerable seismic instability, especially vulnerable to earthquakes. The northern border of the Wei River trench…

history of film: Taiwan: …in the 21st century was Wei Te-Sheng, who helmed the blockbuster Hai-kak chhit-ho (2008; Cape No. 7). His historical drama Sai de ke Ba lai (2011; Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale) was released in two parts. Popular movies included Doze Niu’s gangster film Bang-kah (2010; Monga), Giddens Ko’s romance…

Wei To, in Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, a popular protector of the faith and the general-in-chief under the lokapalas, the regents of the four quarters. From about the 7th century ce his images have been set up facing the main sanctuary of a temple. He is generally represented both in China and

Cao Pi was the founder of the short-lived Wei dynasty (ad 220–265/266) during the Sanguo (Three Kingdoms) period of Chinese history. The son of the great general and warlord Cao Cao of the Han dynasty (206 bc–ad 220), Cao Pi succeeded his father as king of Wei upon the latter’s death in 220. At the

Shang Yang was a Chinese statesman and thinker whose successful reorganization of the state of Qin paved the way for the eventual unification of the Chinese empire by the Qin dynasty (221–207 bce). Shang Yang believed that the integrity of a state could be maintained only with power and that power

Wei Yuan was a historian and geographer of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12). Wei was a leader in the Statecraft school, which attempted to combine traditional scholarly knowledge with practical experience to find workable solutions to the problems plaguing the Chinese government. In 1826 he

Wei Yuan was a historian and geographer of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12). Wei was a leader in the Statecraft school, which attempted to combine traditional scholarly knowledge with practical experience to find workable solutions to the problems plaguing the Chinese government. In 1826 he

Japanese music: Early evidence: …of the 3rd century (Wei zhi, 297 ce) does speak of the natives of Japan as singing and dancing during a funeral. That source also notes two traits well-known in Shintō today: a concern for purification and the use of hand claps in praying before a shrine.

Wei Zhongxian was a eunuch who completely dominated the Chinese government between 1624 and 1627, ruthlessly exploiting the population and terrorizing the official class. He is usually considered by historians to have been the most powerful eunuch in Chinese history. Wei’s career began as a butler

go, board game for two players. Of East Asian origin, it is popular in China, Korea, and especially Japan, the country with which it is most closely identified. Go, probably the world’s oldest board game, is thought to have originated in China some 4,000 years ago. According to some sources, this

Weifang, city, east-central Shandong sheng (province), eastern China. It is situated on the main route along the northern slopes of the Shandong Hills at the northern end of the central plain. The locality is watered by the Wei and Jiaolai rivers, which divide the Mount Tai complex to the west from

Weihai, port city, eastern Shandong sheng (province), eastern China. It lies on the north coast of the Shandong Peninsula. Until the 14th century Weihai was no more than a minor fishing village, but in 1398, as part of the coastal defense policy against the raids of Japanese pirates, it became a

weisuo, (Chinese: “guard post”), any of the military garrison units utilized by China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644) to maintain peace throughout its empire. Originally developed by the preceding Yuan (or Mongol) dynasty (1206–1368), the system consisted of a guard unit of 5,600 men known as a wei.

Wei To, in Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, a popular protector of the faith and the general-in-chief under the lokapalas, the regents of the four quarters. From about the 7th century ce his images have been set up facing the main sanctuary of a temple. He is generally represented both in China and

Qian Zhongshu: …short stories; and Weicheng (1947; Fortress Besieged), a novel. Although it was widely translated, Qian’s novel did not receive much recognition in China until the late 1970s. It became a best-seller in China in the 1980s and was made into a television drama series in 1991.

Chinese painting: Three Kingdoms (220–280) and Six Dynasties (220–589): A descendant of his, Weichi Yiseng, painted frescoes in the temples of Chang’an using a thick impasto (a thick application of pigment) and a brush line that was “tight and strong like bending iron or coiling wire.” Those foreign techniques caused much comment among the Chinese but seem to…

Weichsel Glacial Stage, major division of late Pleistocene deposits and time in western Europe (the Pleistocene Epoch began about 2.6 million years ago and ended about 11,700 years ago). The Weichsel Glacial Stage followed the Eemian Interglacial Stage and marks the last major incursion of

Connecticut: Political, economic, and social maturation: Lowell Weicker, Jr., a former Republican U.S. senator, won the 1990 gubernatorial election as an independent. He was followed in that office by several Republicans, who retained the governorship into the early 21st century.

Franz Weidenreich was a German anatomist and physical anthropologist whose reconstruction of prehistoric human remains and work on Peking man (then called Sinanthropus pekinensis) and other hominids brought him to preeminence in the study of human evolution. Weidenreich received his M.D. from the

medal: Germany and Austria: Christoph Weiditz produced numerous Augsburg medals and with Schwarz showed the greatest sensitivity in capturing individual character in his portraits. Friedrich Hagenauer, active in Munich and in Augsburg (1527–32), produced more than 230 medals. In Nürnberg, Matthes Gebel (active 1525–54) and his follower Joachim Deschler…

Charles Weidman was a major innovator of American modern dance, noted for the abstract, rhythmic pantomime he developed and employed in his comic and satiric works. Weidman became interested in dance after seeing Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn perform, and after studying with Elinor Frampton in

Charles Weidman was a major innovator of American modern dance, noted for the abstract, rhythmic pantomime he developed and employed in his comic and satiric works. Weidman became interested in dance after seeing Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn perform, and after studying with Elinor Frampton in

uniform convergence: …Henrik Abel (1802–29), and the Weierstrass M-test, devised by German mathematician Karl Weierstrass (1815–97).

Karl Weierstrass was a German mathematician, one of the founders of the modern theory of functions. His domineering father sent him to the University of Bonn at age 19 to study law and finance in preparation for a position in the Prussian civil service. Weierstrass pursued four years of intensive

Karl Weierstrass was a German mathematician, one of the founders of the modern theory of functions. His domineering father sent him to the University of Bonn at age 19 to study law and finance in preparation for a position in the Prussian civil service. Weierstrass pursued four years of intensive

Weifang, city, east-central Shandong sheng (province), eastern China. It is situated on the main route along the northern slopes of the Shandong Hills at the northern end of the central plain. The locality is watered by the Wei and Jiaolai rivers, which divide the Mount Tai complex to the west from

Helene Weigel was an Austrian actress and stage director who, with her husband, Bertolt Brecht, in 1949 established the Berliner Ensemble theatre group in what was then East Berlin. Weigel was born into an assimilated Jewish family during the last decades of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. With the

Weigela, genus with about 10 species of East Asian flowering shrubs belonging to the family Diervillaceae, some widely grown as ornamentals for their spring and summer flowers. The tubular, white to red blossoms are borne on upright shrubs to 4 metres (13 feet) tall. Most species of Weigela are

Weigela, genus with about 10 species of East Asian flowering shrubs belonging to the family Diervillaceae, some widely grown as ornamentals for their spring and summer flowers. The tubular, white to red blossoms are borne on upright shrubs to 4 metres (13 feet) tall. Most species of Weigela are

A question of risk: Benefits and drawbacks.Annuities are one way you can set up regular income and sidestep a few money worries in retirement. But they typically come with high fees and hidden risks. Here are some of the pros and cons of annuities. Key Points When you buy an annuity, you’re

weight, gravitational force of attraction on an object, caused by the presence of a massive second object, such as the Earth or Moon. Weight is a consequence of the universal law of gravitation: any two objects, because of their masses, attract each other with a force that is directly proportional

boxing: Weight divisions: …brought about the formation of weight divisions other than the heavyweight class to eliminate the handicap of smaller contestants’ having to concede excessive weight to their opponents. Some of these weight divisions originated in the United States, others in Great Britain.

boxing: Weight divisions: …brought about the formation of weight divisions other than the heavyweight class to eliminate the handicap of smaller contestants’ having to concede excessive weight to their opponents. Some of these weight divisions originated in the United States, others in Great Britain.

weightlifting, sport in which barbells are lifted competitively or as an exercise. For other activities using weights but distinct from weightlifting, see weight training, bodybuilding, and powerlifting. Weightlifting has a lengthy history. For many prehistoric tribes, the traditional test of

Anne Michaels: Early life and poetry: Her first collection, The Weight of Oranges, won the 1986 Commonwealth Prize for the Americas. The Weight of Oranges combines an exploration of the sensual body and its experience of the natural world with the nature of memory and of a past that is haunted by the Holocaust.…

Miranda Lambert: In addition, The Weight of These Wings (2016) was her fifth recording to win ACM album of the year. She also received praise for the country-rock Wildcard (2019), which later was awarded the Grammy for best country album, and for Palomino (2022). During this time the Pistol…

Sarah Polley: …films, such as Kathryn Bigelow’s The Weight of Water (2000), Michael Winterbottom’s The Claim (2000), and Hal Hartley’s No Such Thing (2001). After starring in Zack Snyder’s hit zombie movie Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Wim Wenders’s Don’t Come Knocking (2005), she costarred with Gerard Butler and Stellan Skarsgård…

weight throw, sport of throwing a weight for distance or height. Men have long matched strength and skill at hurling objects. The roth cleas, or wheel feat, reputedly was a major test of the ancient Tailteann Games in Ireland. The competition consisted of various methods of throwing: from shoulder

weight training, system of physical conditioning using free weights (barbells and dumbbells) and weight machines (e.g., Nautilus-type equipment). It is a training system rather than a competitive sport such as Olympic weightlifting or powerlifting. There is evidence of weight training even in

Heinz: …1978 the Heinz Company acquired Weight Watchers International, Inc., a producer of low-calorie meals whose weight-loss program eventually became the largest of its kind in the United States. Soon afterward the company began a period of global expansion that continued through the early 21st century. Heinz acquired food-processing companies and…

anorexia nervosa: …individual to maintain a normal body weight. A person with anorexia nervosa typically weighs no more than 85 percent of the expected weight for the person’s age, height, and sex, and in some cases much less. In addition, people with anorexia nervosa have a distorted evaluation of their own weight…

baking: Dividing: In the weight-based method, a cylindrical rope of dough is continuously extruded through an orifice at a fixed rate and is cut off by a knife-edged rotor at fixed intervals. Since the dough is of consistent density, the cut pieces are of uniform weight. Like the pocket-cut…

mean: …a more general average, the weighted arithmetic mean. If each number (x) is assigned a corresponding positive weight (w), the weighted arithmetic mean is defined as the sum of their products (wx) divided by the sum of their weights. In this case,

filling: …filling is a sizing, or weighting, substance added to yarn or fabric to fill in open spaces or increase weight.

weightlessness, condition experienced while in free-fall, in which the effect of gravity is canceled by the inertial (e.g., centrifugal) force resulting from orbital flight. The term zero gravity is often used to describe such a condition. Excluding spaceflight, true weightlessness can be

weightlifting, sport in which barbells are lifted competitively or as an exercise. For other activities using weights but distinct from weightlifting, see weight training, bodybuilding, and powerlifting. Weightlifting has a lengthy history. For many prehistoric tribes, the traditional test of

weights and measures, the standard or agreed upon units for expressing the amount of some quantity, such as capacity, volume, length, area, number, and weight. See measurement

measurement system: The English system: The Weights and Measures Act of 1824 sought to clear away some of the medieval tangle. A single gallon was decreed, defined as the volume occupied by

International System of Units: Adopted by the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1960, it is abbreviated SI in all languages.

Helene Weigel was an Austrian actress and stage director who, with her husband, Bertolt Brecht, in 1949 established the Berliner Ensemble theatre group in what was then East Berlin. Weigel was born into an assimilated Jewish family during the last decades of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. With the

Weihai, port city, eastern Shandong sheng (province), eastern China. It lies on the north coast of the Shandong Peninsula. Until the 14th century Weihai was no more than a minor fishing village, but in 1398, as part of the coastal defense policy against the raids of Japanese pirates, it became a

Weihai, port city, eastern Shandong sheng (province), eastern China. It lies on the north coast of the Shandong Peninsula. Until the 14th century Weihai was no more than a minor fishing village, but in 1398, as part of the coastal defense policy against the raids of Japanese pirates, it became a

Mount Everest: Extraordinary feats: …the first blind person, American Erik Weihenmayer, summited Everest; he was an experienced climber who had already scaled peaks such as Denali (Mount McKinley) in Alaska and Kilimanjaro in eastern Africa before his climb of Everest.

Friedrich Schleiermacher: Halle and Berlin: In Die Weihnachtsfeier (1805; Christmas Celebration), written in the style of a Platonic dialogue, Schleiermacher adopted the definition of religion he later incorporated into Der christliche Glaube. Instead of speaking of religion as “feeling and intuition,” he now called it simply “feeling”—namely, the immediate feeling that God lives and…

leptospirosis: …of the illness known as Weil disease or icteric (associated with jaundice) leptospirosis, the infected person turns yellow as a result of the destruction of red blood cells and liver disease. The death rate is approximately 30 percent of the severely ill and jaundiced patients.

leptospirosis: …of the illness known as Weil disease or icteric (associated with jaundice) leptospirosis, the infected person turns yellow as a result of the destruction of red blood cells and liver disease. The death rate is approximately 30 percent of the severely ill and jaundiced patients.

André Weil was a French mathematician who was one of the most influential figures in mathematics during the 20th century, particularly in number theory and algebraic geometry. André was the brother of the philosopher and mystic Simone Weil. He studied at the École Normale Supérieure (now part of

Andrew Weil is an American physician and popularizer of alternative and integrative medicine. Weil was the only child of parents who owned a millinery supply store. As a child, he developed a strong interest in plants, which he said he inherited from his mother and grandmother. After graduating

Andrew Weil is an American physician and popularizer of alternative and integrative medicine. Weil was the only child of parents who owned a millinery supply store. As a child, he developed a strong interest in plants, which he said he inherited from his mother and grandmother. After graduating

The Brill Building: Assembly-Line Pop: …Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, and Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman were to rock and roll what Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and George and Ira Gershwin were to Tin Pan Alley. The difference was that the writers of Brill Building pop understood…

Kurt Weill was a German-born American composer who created a revolutionary kind of opera of sharp social satire in collaboration with the writer Bertolt Brecht. Weill studied privately with Albert Bing and at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Berlin with Engelbert Humperdinck. He gained some

Simone Weil was a French mystic, social philosopher, and activist in the French Resistance during World War II, whose posthumously published works had particular influence on French and English social thought. Intellectually precocious, Weil also expressed social awareness at an early age. At five

Kurt Weill was a German-born American composer who created a revolutionary kind of opera of sharp social satire in collaboration with the writer Bertolt Brecht. Weill studied privately with Albert Bing and at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Berlin with Engelbert Humperdinck. He gained some

Kurt Weill was a German-born American composer who created a revolutionary kind of opera of sharp social satire in collaboration with the writer Bertolt Brecht. Weill studied privately with Albert Bing and at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Berlin with Engelbert Humperdinck. He gained some

Sanford I. Weill is an American financier and philanthropist whose company, Travelers Group, merged with Citicorp to form Citigroup in 1998—the largest merger in history at the time. Weill was born to Polish immigrants and was the first in his family to earn a college degree, graduating from

Sanford I. Weill is an American financier and philanthropist whose company, Travelers Group, merged with Citicorp to form Citigroup in 1998—the largest merger in history at the time. Weill was born to Polish immigrants and was the first in his family to earn a college degree, graduating from

Weimar, city, Thuringia Land (state), eastern Germany. Weimar lies along the Ilm River, just east of Erfurt. First mentioned in documents in 975 as Wimare, it was declared a town in 1254 and was chartered in 1348. Ruled by the counts of Weimar-Orlamünde from 1247 to 1372, it then passed to the

German literature: Weimar Classicism: Goethe and Schiller: It took Goethe more than 10 years to adapt himself to life at the court. After a two-year sojourn in Italy from 1786 to 1788, he published his first Neoclassical work, the drama Iphigenie auf Tauris (1779–87; Iphigenie in Tauris),…

Friedrich Ebert: …Democrats had formed the so-called Black–Red–Gold (Weimar) coalition, named after the colours of the flag of the liberal revolution of 1848.

Weimar Republic: The Weimar constitution: The national assembly met in Weimar on February 6, 1919. Ebert’s opening speech underlined the breach with the past and urged the Allies not to cripple the young republic by the demands imposed on it. On February 11 the assembly elected Ebert president of…

Germany: The Weimar Renaissance: Amid the political and economic turmoil of the early 1920s, Germany’s cultural and intellectual life was flowering. The so-called Weimar Renaissance brought the fulfillment of the Modernist revolution, which in the late 19th century had begun to transform the European aesthetic sensibility. The…

Weimar Republic, the government of Germany from 1919 to 1933, so called because the assembly that adopted its constitution met at Weimar from February 6 to August 11, 1919. The abdication of Emperor William II on November 9, 1918, marked the end of the German Empire. That day Maximilian, prince of

Weimaraner, sporting dog breed developed in the early 19th century by German nobles of the court of Weimar. First used to hunt big game, the dog was later trained as a bird dog and retriever. The Weimaraner is a graceful dog with hanging ears; blue, gray, or amber eyes; and a distinctive short

Newport Folk Festival: Founded by music producer George Wein, his business partner Albert Grossman, and several singer-songwriters, the Newport Folk Festival, first staged in 1959, had the aim of showcasing the diversity of American folk music, from rural traditions to urban popular styles. The bill of the inaugural event included professional folk…

Wolverine: …for Marvel Comics by writer Len Wein and artist John Romita, Sr. Wolverine—who possesses razor-sharp claws, the ability to rapidly heal virtually any injury, and a skeleton reinforced with an indestructible metal—made his first full appearance in The Incredible Hulk no. 181 (1974).

Big Science: …Oak Ridge National Laboratory director Alvin Weinberg. The article described Big Science as part of the new political economy of science produced by World War II, during which the U.S. government sponsored gigantic research efforts such as the Manhattan Project, the American atomic bomb program, and the Radiation Laboratory, a…

George Weinberg was an American psychotherapist who coined the term homophobia to describe the extreme aversion to being in the presence of gay men or women that he observed among some of his colleagues. Weinberg earned (1951) a master’s degree in English from New York University. He studied

George Weinberg was an American psychotherapist who coined the term homophobia to describe the extreme aversion to being in the presence of gay men or women that he observed among some of his colleagues. Weinberg earned (1951) a master’s degree in English from New York University. He studied

Linda Nochlin was an American feminist art historian whose 1971 article “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” led to new research into forgotten and underappreciated women artists throughout history and, more broadly, raised consciousness among scholars regarding the way history is analyzed

Conan O’Brien: …a hip band, led by Max Weinberg (drummer for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band), playing in the background—but O’Brien was as irreverent and silly as Letterman. His material was aimed squarely at the 18- to 34-year-old market, mixing in such recurring comedy bits as “Audience Hygiene,” “Classic Films Dubbed by…

Abscam: …1978, when the FBI enlisted Melvin Weinberg, a con artist who had previously worked as a bureau informant, to aid in the recovery of stolen paintings. Weinberg, who was facing a three-year prison term after having been convicted of running a fraudulent real-estate scheme, saw his sentence reduced to probation…

Steven Weinberg was an American nuclear physicist who in 1979 shared the Nobel Prize for Physics with Sheldon Lee Glashow and Abdus Salam for work in formulating the electroweak theory, which explains the unity of electromagnetism with the weak nuclear force. Weinberg and Glashow were members of

G.H. Hardy: …concurrently with the German physician Wilhelm Weinberg, what is now known as the Hardy-Weinberg law. The law resolved the controversy over what proportions of dominant and recessive genetic traits would be propagated in a large mixed population. Although Hardy attached little importance to the law, it became central to the…