Chi|nese

Chi|nese
Chi|nese «chy NEEZ, -NEES», adjective, noun, plural -nese.
–adj.
of China, its people, or their language: »

Chinese courtesy, Chinese cooking.

–n.
1. a person born or living in China: »

The Chinese are very thoughtful of visitors to their country.

2. a person of Chinese descent: »

Many Chinese try to keep the traditions their ancestors brought to America.

3. the tonal language of China; any of the large group of dialects spoken in China, of which the Peking dialect, called Mandarin, is regarded as standard: »

In Chinese, objects are noted as singular or plural only when the speaker judges the information to be relevant (Henry A. Gleason).

Usage Chinese is the standard singular (a Chinese) and plural (the Chinese). Chinaman (or Chinamen), Chinee, and Chink are derogatory terms. Chinee, now rare, is a back formation from Chinese.

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • In|do|chi|nese — or In|do Chi|nese «IHN doh chy NEEZ, NEES», adjective, noun, plural nese. –adj. 1. of or having to do with Indochina, the Mongoloid peoples living there, or their languages. 2. of or having to do with the family group of languages comprising… …   Useful english dictionary

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  • chinese — chi·nese …   English syllables

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