Chinese

Language: en

🇬🇧 /tʃaɪˈniːz/ 🇺🇸 /tʃaɪˈniːz/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Of or relating to China, its people, language, or culture.
  2. noun
    A native or inhabitant of China, or a person of Chinese descent.; The language or group of languages spoken in China, including Mandarin, Cantonese, and other dialects.; Chinese cuisine or food, often referring to dishes served in Chinese restaurants.
  3. adjective
    Of or relating to the Chinese language.
  4. noun
    A type of puzzle or game of Chinese origin, such as Chinese checkers or Chinese puzzles.
  5. adjective
    Intricate, complex, or convoluted (as in 'Chinese puzzle'), sometimes used informally.

🔗 Details

Word forms

uncountable

Collocations

Chinese foodChinese languageChinese cultureChinese New YearChinese medicineChinese characters

Derivatives

ChinesenessSinicizeSinologySino-

Synonyms

SinicSino-

Commonly confused

Mandarin
EN: 'Mandarin' refers to a specific Chinese language/dialect (Putonghua), while 'Chinese' is the broader term encompassing all Chinese languages and culture.
Asian
EN: 'Asian' refers to anything from the entire continent of Asia, while 'Chinese' specifically relates to China.

Spelling tips

EN: Always capitalized ('Chinese') as it is a proper adjective derived from a proper noun. Never write 'chinese' in lowercase in standard English.

💬 Examples

  1. She studied Chinese history at university.

  2. The Chinese have a long history of civilization.

  3. He is learning to speak Chinese.

  4. Let's order Chinese for dinner tonight.

  5. The document was written in Chinese characters.

  6. The children enjoyed playing Chinese checkers.

  7. The legal contract was a Chinese puzzle of clauses and conditions.