Chinese Wall
An information barrier within an organization, designed to ensure internal confidentiality; frequently used to prevent conflicts of interest.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The bank uses a Chinese Wall to keep client data private.”
“The law firm established a Chinese Wall between the two teams to prevent a conflict of interest during the merger.”
“The consulting agency built a Chinese Wall to stop consultants working for competing airlines from sharing sensitive marketing strategies with each other.”
“To maintain regulatory compliance, the investment bank implemented a strict Chinese Wall, ensuring that the research department remained entirely isolated from the trading division.”
first recorded 20th c. disputed origin
The expression Chinese Wall comes from the Great Wall of China and became a metaphor of barriers, known to go back to the United States stock market crash of 1929. The U.S. government saw the need to maintain separation (or an information barrier) between investment bankers and brokerage firms, to limit the conflict of interest between the two. The first use of Chinese Wall in the general context of keeping confidentiality is unclear.
- 01
back to the wall
A very difficult situation with no beneficial options available for action.
- 02
balls to the wall
With maximum effort or commitment.
- 03
bang one's head against a brick wall
To waste effort on a futile project.
- 04
blue wall of silence
Strict secretiveness maintained by the members of a police force with respect to information which might be contrary to their interests, especially information concerning questionable police actions.
- 05
bounce off the walls
To be overly active relative to the enclosed space in which one is.
- 06
break the fourth wall
To apparently communicate with reality directly, such as when characters of literature comment on the existence of a reader.
- 07
Chinese compliment
A pretense of deference; a veiled or subtle insult.
- 08
Chinese green
Synonym of lokao.
Last updated August 10, 2026