guanxi

British

/ ˌɡwænˈsiː /

noun

a Chinese social concept based on the exchange of favours, in which personal relationships are considered more important than laws and written agreements

"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

Etymology

Origin of guanxi

C20: Chinese: relationships

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.

Some of them come from farms in provinces where coronaviruses have been isolated from bats: Guangdong Guanxi, Yunnan.

From Science Magazine • Feb. 14, 2021

Guanxi is what Chinese call mutually beneficial relationships.

From Washington Post

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023