/chuy neez", -nees"/ , n. , pl. Chinese , adj.
n.
1. the standard language of China, based on the speech of Beijing; Mandarin.
2. a group of languages of the Sino-Tibetan family, including standard Chinese and most of the other languages of China. Abbr.: Chin., Chin
3. any of the Chinese languages, which vary among themselves to the point of mutual unintelligibility.
4. a native or descendant of a native of China.
adj.
5. of or pertaining to China, its inhabitants, or one of their languages.
6. noting or pertaining to the partly logographic, partly phonetic script used for the writing of Chinese, Japanese, and other languages, consisting of thousands of brushstroke characters written in vertical columns from right to left.
[ 1570-80; CHIN(A) + -ESE ]