chinese
n. C / Un. the language spoken in China, or a person who comes from China. It can also refer to food from China.
n. the group of languages spoken by the Han people in China; also, a person of Chinese descent or nationality.
She is learning to speak Chinese.
The menu offers a wide variety of traditional Chinese dishes from different provinces.
While Mandarin is the official language, many people in the southern regions speak Cantonese as their primary form of Chinese.
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.
Uncountable when referring to the language; countable when referring to a person (plural: Chinese).
He is a Chinese.He is Chinese.When referring to a person's nationality, 'Chinese' is usually used as an adjective without an article, or as 'a Chinese person'.