English Reference
Idiom idiom

made in China


Cheaply manufactured; of poor or low quality, (especially) if made in East Asia.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

This cheap toy is clearly made in China.

CONTEXTUAL

The plastic handle broke after one use, which is typical for items made in China.

COMPLEX

The consumer grew frustrated with the fragile electronics, noting that they were all made in China and lacked any real durability.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    absence makes the heart grow fonder

    One feels more love or affection for those one loves when parted from them.

  2. 02

    all the tea in China

    Something very valuable or priceless.

  3. 03

    bull in a china shop

    A person who is clumsy, aggressive, without care, concern or self-control.

  4. 04

    cannot make it

    Cannot reach satisfactory or expected standards or do something competently; describes someone in a hopeless situation.

  5. 05

    China syndrome

    A hypothetical kind of catastrophic failure in which a nuclear reactor melts through the floor of its containment system and (if on land) penetrates the Earth's surface, continuing downward as if (from a Western Hemispheric point of view) traveling through the planet toward China.

  6. 06

    doctors make the worst patients

    It is difficult to advise people on subjects that they are experts on.

  7. 07

    enough to make a cat laugh

    Very outlandish or outrageous.

  8. 08

    enough to make the angels weep

    Something so distressing that it causes one to lose hope and faith.

Last updated August 10, 2026