APPENDIX
Note: This is a much shortened and simplified version of our complete appendix, which includes both the Cantonese and Mandarin pronunciations of the Chinese characters from which the loans have been borrowed, and much more detailed accounts of meaning and etymology. I have, for the sake of brevity, left out references to dictionaries. The Dictionaries consulted were The O.E.D., Webster, Collins, Random House, Penguin. The words asterisked have not been sanctioned by inclusion in standard dictionaries.
Chinese Loan Word Characters Meaning Bohea 武夷(山) A black Chinese tea, once regarded as the choicest, but now as an inferior grade. Cathay 契丹 China. Char * Brit. a slang word for tea. Cheongsam 長衫 A straight dress, usually of silk or cotton, with stand-up collar and a slit in one side of the skirt, worn by Chinese women. Chin A Chinese zither consisting of an oblong slightly curved wooden box over which are stretched strings that are stopped with one hand and plucked with the other. Chin Chin 蒽貓 A phrase of salutation. China 秦 A species of earthenware of a fine semi-transparent texture originally manufactured in China, and first brought to Europe in the 16th Century by the Portuguese, who named it porcelain. Ching Ming A spring festival in China when graves are put in order and special offerings are made to the dead. Chopsuey # TY A dish prepared chiefly from bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, onions, mushrooms, and meat or fish and served with rice and soy sauce. *Chow fan 炒飯 Fried rice mixed with diced meat, shrimps, egg, spring onion, etc. Chow or chow-chow A heavy-coated blocky powerfully built dog that is believed to have originated in north China. Chow mein 狗 A thick stew of shredded or finely diced meat, mushrooms, vegetables, and seasonings that is served with fried noodles.