chinese
Forms
- Comparative
- more chinese
- Superlative
- most chinese
- Plural
- chinese
Definitions
1.Of, from, or related to China, particularly now the People's Republic of China.
- China has been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party since 1949.
- Experts told CNN it could take weeks to address the vulnerabilities and that suspected Chinese hackers are already attempting to exploit it.
2.As exotic, unusual, backwards, or unorganized as someone or something from China.(offensive)
- It's all Chinese to me.
3.Of, from, or related to the people of China, particularly the Han Chinese and their culture whether in China or overseas.
- Important Chinese holidays celebrated around the world include the Chinese New Year ("Spring Festival"), Tomb Sweeping Day, and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
4.Of, from, or related to a language native to Han Chinese persons, often used generally of Chinese characters or particularly to refer to Standard Mandarin.
- There are four Chinese tones... five, if you count the neutral one.
- The DPRK (Joseon Minjujui Inmin Konghuaguk 朝鮮民主主義人民共和國) is read in Chinese as Chaoxian minzhu zhuyi renmin gonghe guo, and its capital, Pyeonyang, is pronounced Pingrang 平壤.
1.A native, inhabitant, or citizen of China, particularly of the People's Republic of China.
- The Chinese have an incredible history.
- China is a country with a 5,000 year uninterrupted civilisation, and the Chinese are a people that keep moving forward amid trials and tribulations.
- After Pearl Harbor, American sympathy for the Chinese grew even stronger, for the Chinese were a people who had long been bravely resisting Japanese aggressors.
2.A member of the Han Chinese ethnic group, whether in China or overseas.
- The Chinese are present in all parts of the world.
- But I had the unmitigated pleasure of watching a family of four Chinese struggle to use knives and forks to [eat] their bacon and eggs.
3.Ellipsis of Chinese cuisine.
- Please don't eat the Chinese. I'm saving it for later.
- "Do you like to eat Chinese?
4.Ellipsis of Chinese meal (“meal consisting of Chinese cuisine”).(colloquial)
- We're going out tonight for a Chinese.
Frequency
Overall
Common· #1417
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Uncommon
- General reading & writing
- Common
- Academic
- Uncommon
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Word family
Etymology
From China + -ese under influence of Portuguese chinês, replacing older Chinish.
Doublet of chinois.
In its orientalist sense of "generically exotic, backwards, or poorly organized", sometimes a deliberate marketing strategy to increase sales, as with the German Chinese checkers.