Chinese puzzle
Americannoun
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a very complicated puzzle.
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anything very complicated or perplexing.
noun
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an intricate puzzle, esp one consisting of boxes within boxes
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a complicated problem
Etymology
Origin of Chinese puzzle
First recorded in 1805–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The movie is definitely a kind of Chinese puzzle box.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2019
There is, in the abstract, something catchy about the Chinese puzzle ingenuity of the plan, about the consolidation and reinvention of the century-old stack space.
From New York Times ● Jan. 29, 2013
The real problem for America is that it has few easy alternatives when it comes to solving its Chinese puzzle and leveling that field.
From Reuters ● Apr. 27, 2011
With “The Tragedy of Arthur” Mr. Phillips has created a wonderfully tricky Chinese puzzle box of a novel that is as entertaining as it is brainy.
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2011
You wondered how the five people had been introduced into the place, as if it were a Chinese puzzle.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
