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mandarin
mandarin an official in any of the senior grades of the former imperial Chinese civil service. Mandarins were chosen by examination, and there were nine grades, each of which was distinguished by the material from which the round ornament or ‘button’ on top of the official headgear was made. From the early 18th century, Mandarin has also been used for the standard literary and official form of Chinese.
Recorded in English in the late 16th century, the word comes from Portuguese mandarim, via Malay, from Hindi mantrī ‘counsellor’. The current transferred meaning of a powerful official or senior bureaucrat, especially one perceived as reactionary and secretive, developed in the early 20th century. The mandarin orange may be named from the colour of the fruit being likened to the official yellow robes of a mandarin. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "mandarin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "mandarin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-mandarin.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "mandarin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-mandarin.html |
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Mandarin
Mandarin [Port. mandar =to govern, or from Malay mantri =counselor of state], a high official of imperial China. For each of the nine grades there was a different colored button worn on the dress cap. Mandarin Chinese was the language spoken by the official class and was based on the Beijing dialect. A version of Mandarin Chinese, known as putonghua [common language], is now taught throughout the country, and it is the official national language. A first or second language for roughly half the nation's population, it is widely spoken in native Chinese regions except along the southeastern coast, where the Cantonese, Fukienese, and Shanghai languages (considered by some to be Chinese dialects) are dominant. See Chinese . |
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"Mandarin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Mandarin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Mandarin.html "Mandarin." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Mandarin.html |
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mandarin
mandarin (in history) (Portuguese mandarim, from the Sanskrit mantrin, ‘counsellor’) A senior official in imperial China. From the Song dynasty (960 AD), officials were recruited predominantly by examination in the Confucian classics. (Since the HAN dynasty (206 BC) examinations had been used within the civil service.) There were nine grades of mandarin.
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"mandarin." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mandarin." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-mandarin.html "mandarin." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-mandarin.html |
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mandarin
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T. F. HOAD. "mandarin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "mandarin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-mandarin.html T. F. HOAD. "mandarin." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-mandarin.html |
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mandarin
mandarin, used as an adjective to describe esoteric, highly decorative, or highbrow prose.
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "mandarin." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "mandarin." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-mandarin.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "mandarin." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-mandarin.html |
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mandarin
mandarin •tannin
•antivenin, Lenin
•Kalinin • linen • bedlinen
•underlinen • feminine
•Cronin, phone-in, ronin, serotonin
•Bakunin • run-in • melanin • santonin
•crankpin • backspin • hatpin
•tenpin • hairpin • tailspin • wheelspin
•Crippen, pippin
•stickpin • kingpin • Crispin • linchpin
•tiepin • topspin • clothespin
•lupin, lupine
•pushpin • terrapin • Turpin • Karin
•chagrin • aspirin • Catrin • Kathryn
•Gagarin
•Erin, Perrin, serin
•Sanhedrin • epinephrine • dextrin
•brethren • Montenegrin • pyrethrin
•peregrine
•Corin, florin, foreign
•doctrine • sovereign • Aldrin
•Paludrine • murrain
•Kirin, stearin
•Lohengrin
•burin, urine
•tambourin • mandarin • warfarin
•saccharin, saccharine
•tamarin • Catherine
•navarin, savarin
•culverin • Mazarin
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"mandarin." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mandarin." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-mandarin.html "mandarin." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-mandarin.html |
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