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china

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noun

porcelain or any ceramic ware like porcelain
dishes, ornaments, etc. made of china
any earthenware dishes or crockery

adjective

made of china

country in E Asia: before 1912, the Chinese Empire: 3,696,100 sq mi (9,572,862 sq km); pop. 1,130,511,000; cap. Beijing
officially called the People's Republic of China since 1949
this country variously from 1912 until the Kuomintang party fled to Taiwan in 1949

See china in American Heritage Dictionary 4

(chīˈnə)

noun

High-quality porcelain or ceramic ware, originally made in China.
Porcelain or earthenware used for the table.

Word History: Our term china for porcelain or ceramic ware is a shortening of chinaware and probably china dishes. Although the word china is identical in spelling to the name of the country, there are 16th- and 17th-century spellings like chiney, cheny, and cheney that reflect the borrowing into English of the Persian term for this porcelain, chīnī. The Persian word and the Sanskrit word cīnāḥ, “Chinese people,” which gave us the English name for the country, go back to the Chinese word Qín, the name of the dynasty that ruled China from 221 to 206 B.C.

(chīˈnə), People's Republic of

A country of eastern Asia. Its ancient civilization traditionally dates to c. 2700 B.C.. After a bitter civil war (1946-1949) a people's republic led by Mao Zedong was established on the mainland, and the Nationalists fled to Taiwan. Beijing is the capital and Shanghai the largest city. Population: 1,320,000,000.

, Republic of

See Taiwan.

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China

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China

Chinamania

an obsession with China and things Chinese.

chinoiserie

anything typically Chinese or made in a Chinese manner.

Confucianism

the philosophy and doctrines espoused by Confucius, 5th century B.C. Chinese philosopher and mor al teacher.

Fohism, Foism

the predominant Chinese form of Buddhism, Foh being the Chinese name for Buddha. —Fohist, n.

Maoism

1. the political and social theories and policies of Mao Zedong (1893-1976), Chinese communist leader, especially with regard to revolution and agrarian reform.

2. adherence to or belief in Mao’s doctrines. —Maoist, n., adj.

Mohism

the doctrines of Mo-Tze, Chinese sage of the 5th century, B.C., who advocated government by an absolute monarch and universal love. —Mohist, n., adj.

Sinicism

1. a trait or custom peculiar to the Chinese.

2. the use in another language of a Chinese word, idiom, or expression.

Sinology

the branch of anthropology that studies Chinese culture. —Sinologist, Sinologue, n. —Sinological, adj.

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