An imperial Chinese dynasty (4)
I believe the answer is:
ming
'an imperial chinese dynasty' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for ming that I've seen before include "Chinese dynasty 14th-17th centuries, or porcelain" , "Chinese dynasty - Flash Gordon's foe" , "Famous porcelain from China 14th-17th centuries" , "Chinese dynasty noted for procelain" , "An imperial Chinese dynasty" .)