Chinese

[chahy-neez, -nees]

noun

plural

Chinese 

1. the standard language of China, based on the speech of Beijing; Mandarin.

2. a group of languages of the Sino-Tibetan family, including standard Chinese and most of the other languages of China. Chin., Chin

3. any of the Chinese languages, which vary among themselves to the point of mutual unintelligibility.

4. Chinese food.

   We usually order Chinese from a place across the street.

5. Often Offensive.,  a native or descendant of a native of China.

adjective

1. of or relating to China, its inhabitants, or one of their languages.

2. noting or pertaining to the partly logographic, partly phonetic script used for the writing of Chinese, Japanese, and other languages, consisting of thousands of brushstroke characters written in vertical columns from right to left.

Chinese

/ tʃaɪˈniːz /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of China, its people, or their languages

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of China or a descendant of one

2. any of the languages of China belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family, sometimes regarded as dialects of one language. They share a single writing system that is not phonetic but ideographic. A phonetic system using the Roman alphabet was officially adopted by the Chinese government in 1966 See also Mandarin Chinese Pekingese Cantonese

Sensitive Note

In the past, the word Chinese has been used as a noun to describe a person or people (the CEO is a Chinese ). This usage is dated and almost always considered offensive today. The adjective Chinese is found in a few set phrases ( Chinese copy, Chinese fire drill, Chinese money, and Chinese tour ) in which it represents inferiority—implying that something is less good, useful, or effective, or that it is not authentic. In other set phrases ( Chinese checkers, Chinese tag ), the word represents that something is exotic or unusual. These uses are usually considered offensive.

Other Word Forms

• anti-Chinese adjective anti-Chinese
• non-Chinese adjective non-Chinese
• pro-Chinese adjective pro-Chinese
• pseudo-Chinese adjective pseudo-Chinese

Word History and Origins

Origin of Chinese¹

First recorded in 1570–80; Chin(a) + -ese

Example Sentences

Nor is it David Henry Hwang’s user-friendly libretto based on the late Ming Dynasty Chinese classic, “Journey to the West.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Zhao, 28, made snooker history in May when he became the first Chinese player to win the World Championship, beating Mark Williams 18-12 in the final at the Crucible in Sheffield.

Read more on BBC

Tesla is facing increased competition from attractively priced Chinese brands and has also suffered from a tarnished image owing to controversies surrounding its billionaire CEO Elon Musk.

Read more on Barron's

“Chinese equities are bucking the risk off elsewhere this morning, possibly on stimulus hopes given the data,” noted Jim Reid, a strategist at Deutsche Bank.

Read more on Barron's

The Chinese position sits 6 miles from the biggest U.S. military base in Africa, Camp Lemonnier.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal