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mandarin

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

man·da·rin¹ / ˈmandərən/ • n. 1. (Mandarin) the standard literary and official form of Chinese based on the Beijing dialect, spoken by over 730 million people: [as adj.] Mandarin Chinese. 2. an official in any of the nine top grades of the former imperial Chinese civil service. ∎ [as adj.] (esp. of clothing) characteristic or supposedly characteristic of such officials: a red-buttoned mandarin cap. ∎ an ornament consisting of a nodding figure in traditional Chinese dress, typically made of porcelain. ∎ porcelain decorated with Chinese figures dressed as mandarins. ∎ a powerful official or senior bureaucrat, esp. one perceived as reactionary and secretive: a civil service mandarin. man·da·rin² (also mandarine , mandarin orange) • n. 1. a small flattish citrus fruit (Citrus reticulata) with a loose skin, esp. a variety with yellow-orange skin. Compare with tangerine. 2. the citrus tree that yields this fruit.

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Mandarin

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

Mandarin Major dialect of Chinese, the spoken language of about 70% of the population of China. It was originally the language of the imperial court. Mandarin is the basis of modern standard Chinese.

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"Mandarin." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Mandarin.html

"Mandarin." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Mandarin.html

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