Chinese

[ chahy-neez, -nees ]

/ tʃaɪˈniz, -ˈnis /

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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. Abbreviations: Chin., Chin

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

Chinese food: We usually order Chinese from a place across the street.

Often Offensive. a native or descendant of a native of China. See Usage note at the current entry.

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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Chinese

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

usage note for Chinese

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 frequently 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. This usage is usually considered offensive.

OTHER WORDS FROM Chinese

an·ti-Chi·nese, adjective, noun, plural an·ti-Chi·nese.non-Chi·nese, adjective, noun, plural non-Chi·nese.pro-Chi·nese, adjective, noun, plural pro-Chi·nese.pseu·do-Chi·nese, adjective, noun, plural pseu·do-Chi·nese.

Words nearby Chinese

Chindia, Chindit, Chindwin, chine, Chinee, Chinese, Chinese artichoke, Chinese block, Chinese boxes, Chinese burn, Chinese cabbage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Chinese in a sentence

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
Undesirable inhabitants of the country are being sent away, especially the Japanese, who are more dangerous than the Chinese.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
Rich natives and Chinese lost large sums of money, the total of which cannot be ascertained.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Besides, we now know that the plant which furnishes the Chinese tobacco is even said to grow wild in the East Indies.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Truly, with four or five thousand Chinese, the community would be well served and the country free from danger.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
There are at present more than sixteen thousand Chinese in this city of Manila, who have received license to stay in the country.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various

British Dictionary definitions for Chinese

Chinese

/ (tʃaɪˈniːz) /

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

Other words from Chinese

Related 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