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

The U.S. could expand its entity list to over 10,000 Chinese firms and is considering broader export restrictions.

Read more on Barron's

His suspicions were borne out when it emerged last year that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned substance before the Tokyo Olympics and been cleared by their country’s national doping agency.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But years of off-shoring, consolidation and cheap Chinese imports led to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and the crumbling of an industry that once was a way of life.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In April 2024, Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry were charged under the Official Secrets Act 1911 over allegations that they had passed information to a Chinese intelligence agent.

Read more on BBC

The strategy calls for deploying thousands of unmanned submarines, surface ships and aerial drones to flood the 100-mile waterway that separates China and Taiwan in the case of a Chinese invasion.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal