Chinese

Meaning

Adj

1. Of, from, or related to China, particularly now the People's Republic of China.
2. Of, from, or related to the people of China, particularly the Han Chinese and their culture whether in China or overseas.
3. 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.
4. As exotic, unusual, backwards, or unorganized as someone or something from China.
5. Having barn doors with a horizontal orientation.

Name

1. The citizens of China, particularly citizens of the People's Republic of China.
2. The Han Chinese, whether in China or overseas.
3. The Standard Chinese language, written in Chinese characters and spoken and spelled using Standard Mandarin pronunciation.
4. The branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family including Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Southern Min, and other closely related language varieties and dialects.
5. The logographic writing system shared by most Sinitic languages.

Noun

1. A person/people from China or of Chinese descent.
2. Ellipsis of Chinese cuisine.
3. (informal) Ellipsis of Chinese meal (“meal consisting of Chinese cuisine”).

Pronounced as (IPA)

/t͡ʃaɪˈniːz/

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. In its sense related to the orientation of stage lighting's barn doors, a reference to a supposed resemblance to East Asian eyes.

Sentences

Stylistically , the music is a blend of Western avant-garde and Chinese opera .