Chinese

American  

[chahy-neez, -nees] / tʃaɪˈniz, -ˈnis /

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.

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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 British  

/ tʃaɪˈniːz /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of China, its people, or their languages

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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 adjectiveanti-Chinese
• non-Chinese adjectivenon-Chinese
• pro-Chinese adjectivepro-Chinese
• pseudo-Chinese adjectivepseudo-Chinese

Etymology

Origin of Chinese

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

Example Sentences

Their sprawling Chinese retail networks have also given them a market-share edge.

From The Wall Street Journal

In 1898, a conservative Supreme Court upheld that rule and affirmed the citizenship of Wong Kim Ark. He was born in San Francisco to Chinese parents who later returned to China.

From Los Angeles Times

Dar returned to Islamabad on Wednesday with Chinese backing for Pakistan's diplomatic efforts, which saw foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey meet in the Pakistani capital last weekend.

From Barron's

A number of Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxis froze in the middle of traffic in a major Chinese city, forcing passengers to abandon the vehicles, and raising questions over the safety of self-driving cars.

From The Wall Street Journal

The peace plan was drafted after Pakistan's foreign minister flew to Beijing to ask for Chinese support for the country's efforts to negotiate an end to this conflict.

From BBC