I. (ˈ)chī|nēz, -ēs adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: China + English -ese
1.
a. : of, relating to, or characteristic of China
b. : of, relating to, or characteristic of the Chinese
2. : of, relating to, or characteristic of a Chinese language or of the Chinese branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family
II. noun
Usage: capitalized
1. pl chinese : a native or inhabitant of China or one of his descendants
2. -s : a group of related languages mutually unintelligible in their spoken form but sharing a single system of writing in which the visual symbols directly represent words regardless of the sounds involved used by the people of China and constituting a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family ; specifically : mandarin — see amoy , cantonese , foochow , hakka , pekingese , swatow , wu