hong

[ hong ]

noun
  1. (in China) a group of rooms or buildings forming a warehouse, factory, etc.

  2. one of the factories under foreign ownership formerly maintained at Canton.

Origin of hong

1
1720–30; <dialectal Chinese (Guangdong) hòhng, equivalent to Chinese háng row of shops

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

How to use hong in a sentence

  • The island of Honan was occupied by various important hongs, or places of business belonging to native Chinese merchants.

  • Certain high Chinamen in the hongs—the trade-houses—bowed low in a most respectful way to Sky-High, their manner very noticeable.

    Little Sky-High | Hezekiah Butterworth
  • They could be seen in large quantities stored in the Hongs, waiting the first ships to come in.

  • Wanhsien is a very rich city, with wealthy merchants and great salt hongs.

    An Australian in China | George Ernest Morrison
  • Their ah-hongs or pastors do not trouble to teach any save the students, for which they are paid.

    Our Moslem Sisters | Annie Van Sommer

British Dictionary definitions for hong

hong

/ (hɒŋ) /


noun
  1. (in China) a factory, warehouse, etc

  2. (formerly, in Canton) a foreign commercial establishment

Origin of hong

1
C18: from Chinese (Cantonese dialect)

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