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• china
  china

  noun

  a translucent ceramic material, biscuit-fired at a high temperature, its glaze fired at a low temperature.
• China
  China

  noun

  People's Republic of China.

china

¹ American  

[chahy-nuh] / ˈtʃaɪ nə /

noun

1. a translucent ceramic material, biscuit-fired at a high temperature, its glaze fired at a low temperature.

2. any porcelain ware.

3. plates, cups, saucers, etc., collectively.

4. figurines made of porcelain or ceramic material, collectively.

   a collection of china.

5. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a playing marble of china, or sometimes of porcelain or glass.

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adjective

1. made of china.

2. indicating the twentieth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary.

China ² American  

[chahy-nuh] / ˈtʃaɪ nə /

noun

1. People's Republic of China.

2. Also called Nationalist China. Republic of China.

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china ¹ British  

/ ˈtʃaɪnə /

noun

1. informal a friend or companion

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china ² British  

/ ˈtʃaɪnə /

noun

1. ceramic ware of a type originally from China

2. any porcelain or similar ware

3. cups, saucers, etc, collectively

4. (modifier) made of china

   a china tea service

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China ³ British  

/ ˈtʃaɪnə /

noun

1. a republic in E Asia: the third largest and the most populous country in the world; the oldest continuing civilization (beginning over 2000 years _bc ); republic established in 1911 after the overthrow of the Manchu dynasty by Sun Yat-sen; People's Republic formed in 1949; the 1980s and 1990s saw economic liberalization but a rejection of political reform; contains vast deserts, steppes, great mountain ranges (Himalayas, Kunlun, Tian Shan, and Nan Shan), a central rugged plateau, and intensively cultivated E plains. Language: Chinese in various dialects, the chief of which is Mandarin. Religion: nonreligious majority; Buddhist and Taoist minorities. Currency: yuan. Capital: Beijing. Pop: 1 349 586 000 (2013 est). Area: 9 560 990 sq km (3 691 502 sq miles)

2. Former name: Formosa. a republic (recognized as independent by only 24 nations) in E Asia occupying the island of Taiwan, 13 nearby islands, and 64 islands of the Penghu (Pescadores) group: established in 1949 by the Nationalist government of China under Chiang Kai-shek after its expulsion by the Communists from the mainland; its territory claimed by the People's Republic of China since the political separation from the mainland; under US protection 1954–79; lost its seat at the UN to the People's Republic of China in 1971; state of war with the People's Republic of China formally ended in 1991, though tensions continue owing to the unresolved territorial claim. Language: Mandarin Chinese. Religion: nonreligious majority, Buddhist and Taoist minorities. Currency: New Taiwan dollar. Capital: Taipei. Pop: 22 610 000 (2003 est). Area: 35 981 sq km (13 892 sq miles)

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China Cultural  

1. Nation in eastern Asia, bordered by Russia and North Korea to the east; Russia and Mongolia to the north; Russia and Afghanistan to the west; and Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Laos, and Vietnam to the south. Its capital is Beijing, and its largest city is Shanghai.

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Discover More

Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Chinese Nationalists, established the government of Nationalist China (see also Nationalist China) in 1928 in Nanjing.

The Boxer Rebellion of 1900 grew out of strong resentment of foreign influence in China.

The Second Sino-Japanese War, which lasted from 1937 to 1945 (merging with World War II in 1941), grew out of Japanese encroachments on Chinese land.

The Chinese communists, with Mao Zedong as their leader, defeated Chiang's Nationalists in 1949, proclaiming the People's Republic of China. The Nationalists withdrew to the island of Taiwan.

China is the most populous country in the world and the third largest, after Russia and Canada.

A revolution in 1911 overthrew the Qing dynasty, ending the two-thousand-year-old imperial system.

In the mid-1960s, Mao's wife, acting on his behalf, and three colleagues, later known as the Gang of Four, advanced the goals of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, aimed at eliminating old ideas and customs. Mobs attacked schools and cultural centers, brutally disrupting the entire nation. With the death of Mao in 1976 and the trial of the Gang of Four in 1980, the Cultural Revolution came to an end.

Although China remains officially communist, its government encourages capitalism in designated areas, especially in its southeastern provinces. China has experienced considerable economic development in recent decades. Relations with the United States remain tense, especially over Taiwan, but the United States supported China's admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

In 1989, the government brutally suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square.

In 1958, Mao undertook the “Great Leap Forward” campaign, a crash program of industrialization, but none of its goals were reached, and the effort collapsed.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon visited China, reopening relations between mainland China and the United States.

In 1960, the ideological split between the Soviet Union and China widened, and the Soviets withdrew all aid.

In 1950, Chinese forces joined the North Korean army in the Korean War.

Etymology

Origin of china¹

First recorded in 1645–55; by ellipsis from chinaware

Origin of China²

First recorded in 1550–60; of uncertain origin, but probably ultimately from Sanskrit Cīnas “the Chinese,” from Chinese Ch'in ( def. )

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Explanation

China is a kind of ceramic or porcelain tableware. If your grandmother asks you to put the china on the table, you'll grab a stack of plates. You can use the word china, with a lowercase c, to mean dishes or plates in general, although the word usually specifies a fine, high-quality kind of ceramic. A china tea cup is delicate, and has a matching saucer, and your dad's best china might only come out at Thanksgiving. Because this delicate kind of dish was originally imported from China, it was first called Chinaware, later shortened to china.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

china China

Their identity is as a team who will have a real go at you and their approach is a bit like a bull in a china shop.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

My wife feels a similar attachment to her great-aunt’s china, even though our children are unlikely to want it.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

Or so often acted like a bull in a china shop, such as by threatening war with Greenland.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

Unless organizations develop clear strategies, A.I. in the workplace becomes a bull in a china shop—with those who never even wanted it tasked with cleaning up the mess.

From Slate ● Apr. 9, 2026

Stunned, the two white women cowered in their seats as Ann’s anger rained down, their bone china teacups rattling in their saucers.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Executives at the German medical-technology company signaled they expect the diagnostics business’s operations in China to stabilize at current levels of roughly 7% of the division’s revenue, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

They first played together for England in 1996 against China, becoming the first siblings to do so since Bobby and Jack Charlton 26 years earlier.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Overall, tech investors in China remain optimistic, said Ajin Jin, partner at Shanghai-based investment firm Kunquan.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

Plus: The FTC claims Amazon tripled ad prices for Black Friday and China is flexing its control over artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

The United States now has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, dwarfing the rates of nearly every developed country, even surpassing those in highly repressive regimes like Russia, China, and Iran.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

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