Chinese

[chahy-neez, -nees]

noun, plural Chi·nese.

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

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

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

a native or descendant of a native of China.

adjective

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

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.

RELATED WORDS

byzantine, Korean, Asian, Japanese

Origin of Chinese

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

Related formsnon-Chi·nese, noun, plural non·-Chi·nese, adjectivepre-Chi·nese, adjective, noun, plural pre·-Chi·nese.pro-Chi·nese, adjective, noun, plural pro·-Chi·nese.pseu·do-Chi·nese, adjective, noun, plural pseu·do-Chi·nese.

Usage note

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. Although insulting a particular person or nationality may be unintentional, it is best to be aware that use of these terms is usually perceived as offensive to or by the Chinese.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chinese

The family was taking some private moments for a closing of the coffin in keeping with Chinese ritual.
Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss|Michael Daly|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Monitoring Chinese social-media platforms has paid off for the Chinese government.
China’s Internet Is Freer Than You Think|Brendon Hong|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
HONG KONG—Last year, I met a Chinese graduate student on a tour of the northeastern United States before his first day at Harvard.
China’s Internet Is Freer Than You Think|Brendon Hong|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We ought to seek Chinese cooperation in a response to this North Korean act of aggression.
Obama Could Hit China to Punish North Korea|Shane Harris, Tim Mak|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Some experts suggest that other parties, perhaps Iranian or Chinese, may have played some role.
Inside the ‘Surprisingly Great’ North Korean Hacker Hotel|Michael Daly|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A revolution of this same Chinese character did young Oxford of that era effect in the constitution of mail-coach society.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 66, No. 408, January 1849|Various
Scions of this tree were obtained last spring and grafted onto several Chinese seedlings at the Kellogg Farm.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting|Northern Nut Growers Association
The Chinese affirm that the latter is the finest fruit in the whole world.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
Teeny-bits stood up stiffly and began to pull on his torn sweater, while the two Chinese watched him with fascinated eyes.
The Mark of the Knife|Clayton H. Ernst
In one quarter every store is kept by a Chinese and here a large amount of manufacturing is done.
The Critic in the Orient|George Hamlin Fitch

British Dictionary definitions for chinese

Chinese

adjective

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

noun

plural -nese a native or inhabitant of China or a descendant of one

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 1966See also Mandarin Chinese, Pekingese, Cantonese

Related formsRelated prefix: Sino-

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for chinese

Chinese

adj.

1570s, from China + -ese. As a noun from c.1600. Chinee (n.) is a vulgar back-formation from this word on the mistaken notion that the word is a plural. As an adjective, Chinish also was used 16c. Chinese fire-drill "chaotic situation of many people rushing around futilely" is attested by 1962, U.S. military slang. The game Chinese checkers is attested from 1938.

Chinese

noun, plural Chi·nese.

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Origin of Chinese

Usage note

Examples from the Web for chinese

Chinese

adjective

noun

Chinese