01
chinesisch
Chinese
Relates to China, its inhabitants, its culture, or its origin.
example
Die chinesische Mauer ist ein beeindruckendes Bauwerk.
The Great Wall of China is an impressive structure.
chinesisch
Chinese
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Word formation
The adjective 'chinesisch' (Chinese) is formed from the country name 'China' with the ending '-isch' (-ish). This pattern is used for many adjectives that refer to countries or regions.
EXAMPLE
Ich interessiere mich sehr für die chinesische Kultur.
I am very interested in Chinese culture.
Capitalization
As an adjective before a noun, 'chinesisch' (Chinese) is written in lowercase. When it stands alone as the name of the language, it is treated as a noun and capitalized: 'Chinesisch' (Chinese).
EXAMPLE
Er liest gerne chinesische Gedichte.
He likes reading Chinese poems.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'Das kommt mir chinesisch vor' (it's all Greek to me) means that you do not understand something at all. It is used colloquially when something seems very complicated or incomprehensible.
EXAMPLE
Die Bedienungsanleitung für das neue Gerät kommt mir völlig chinesisch vor.
The user manual for the new device is completely all Greek to me.
Compare with
chinesisch vs verständlich
understandable
'verständlich' and 'chinesisch' are opposites here only in the idiom 'Das kommt mir chinesisch vor' (it's all Greek to me). 'verständlich' means that you can understand something well. When someone says something 'kommt mir chinesisch vor', they mean colloquially that they do not understand it at all. This has nothing to do with China or the Chinese language in the literal sense. So the contrast is: clear and understandable versus completely unclear.
chinesisch
Diese Anleitung kommt mir chinesisch vor; ich verstehe keinen Schritt.
These instructions are all Greek to me; I don't understand a single step.
verständlich
Im Büro schreibt der Kunde eine verständliche E-Mail mit allen wichtigen Informationen.
At the office, the customer writes an understandable email with all the important information.
In real life
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