Chinese Wall

American  

noun

Informal.

1. Great Wall of China.

2. an insuperable barrier or obstacle, as to understanding.

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Chinese wall British  

noun

1. a notional barrier between the parts of a business, esp between the market makers and brokers of a stock-exchange business, across which no information should pass to the detriment of clients

2. an insurmountable obstacle

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Etymology

Origin of Chinese Wall

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

So they had stayed put Friday when Butte County deputies drove through with loudspeakers and ordered evacuation of a large swath of mountain land off Chinese Wall Road.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2017

When I was managing Korrespondent, which at the time was the leading newsmagazine in Ukraine, we didn’t have a Chinese Wall or a picket fence.

From Forbes • Mar. 29, 2015

And when the Chinese Wall was built, where did the masons go for lunch?

From Salon • May 21, 2012

I predict that artworks of the future will be in size category of Chinese Wall, and may become one day just as beautiful.

From Time Magazine Archive

See regarding the Chinese Wall the remarks referred to above, at p.

From The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Yule, Henry