50 words for the English word “Chinese”

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Like the idea that the Inuit language has some 50 terms for “snow”, there are about 50 terms for “Chinese” in the Chinese language. In English the word “Chinese” covers the culture, nation, landscape, ethnicity, food, clothing, language, calendar, arts and music of Chinese origin. In the Chinese language there are many, many ways to refer to a highly diverse culture with distinct terms based on historical, social, and political contexts. There isn’t one single term that describes the Chinese to themselves. When you say “Chinese”, native Chinese speakers are already wrestling in their minds what do you mean?

About Author

yvonne.liu.wolf

Yvonne Wolf was born in Taiwan and educated in the U.S. and Europe. She has extensive experience living and working internationally (Denmark and Japan). She is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Danish, and has studied Japanese, Spanish, and Greek. Between work and personal travel, she has visited more than 20 countries and well-traveled within the U.S. and Canada. She has worked with organizations and business executives focusing on communication strategies working with Chinese and East Asian partners. Among her many skills is mediating across cultural misunderstandings.