What Does 'Dynasty' Mean?

Dynasty means that the rulers of a country usually are generations of the same family, or are of the same beliefs and ways that a country is run.  The Ming Dynasty were rulers that practiced "Han" beliefs, which was a set of beliefs for running the government, the religious beliefs, culture, etc.  Before them there was the "Xin" rulers, and after the Ming Dynasty, there was the Qing Dynasty that had a different set of ways to rule China.  In England, the dynasties were years of royal family rule, each generation of the same family took over when one died.  They were called Houses instead of dynasties.  The current one under the Queen is the House of Windsor.  Here is a site you might want to look at to see all the different ages of China's different dynasties:
gochina.about.com

I hope that helped you out a bit!
Moe

(plural dy·nas·ties)




1.
Succession of hereditary rulers: A succession of rulers from the same family

2.
Prominent and powerful family: A prominent and powerful family or group of people whose members retain their power and influence through several generations
[14th century. Directly or via French < late Latin dynastia < Greek dunastēs "lord" (see dynast)]


-dy·nas·tic [dī nástik, di nástik], adjective
-dy·nas·ti·cal·ly [dī nástikəlee], adverb





3.
Ruler: A ruler, especially a hereditary monarch

4.
Member or founder of dynasty: A member or founder of a dynasty

[Mid-17th century. Via Latin < Greek dunastēs "lord" < dunasthai "be able"]

A Dynasty refers to a familial line of descent. Most often referred to in business, it is a family owned business, that has been passed down to the descendant relatives of the family business.