mandarin: [16] Although it refers to a Chinese official, mandarin is not a Chinese word. Sanskrit mantrin meant ‘counsellor’ (it was a derivative of mantra ‘counsel’, which itself was based on man ‘think’, a distant relative of English mind). Its Hindi descendant mantrī passed into English via Malay mẽteri and Portuguese mandarin. The word’s application to a variety of small loose-skinned orange, which dates in English from the 19th century, was inspired by the yellow robes worn by mandarins. => mind
mandarin (n.)
"Chinese official," 1580s, via Portuguese mandarim or older Dutch mandorijn from Malay mantri, from Hindi mantri "councilor, minister of state," from Sanskrit mantri, nominative of mantrin- "advisor," from mantra "counsel," from PIE root *men- "to think" (see mind (n.)).
Form influenced in Portuguese by mandar "to command, order." Used generically for the several grades of Chinese officials; sense of "chief dialect of Chinese" (spoken by officials and educated people) is from c. 1600. Transferred sense of "important person" attested by 1907. The type of small, deep-colored orange so called from 1771, from resemblance of its color to that of robes worn by mandarins.
中文解释
外国人音译汉语“满清”。
实用例句
1. Measures are taken to battle rising mandarin crime.
已经采取了措施来打击官员中不断上升的犯罪行为.
来自《简明英汉词典》
2. Mandarin Chinese has four tones.
汉语有四声.
来自辞典例句
3. I speak the Shanghai dialect and the Mandarin.
我会讲上海话,普通话.
来自辞典例句
4. It was not long before he spoke Mandarin, with a trace of the soft Soochow tones.
没有多久,他就说上一口北京话, 带有一些甜丝丝的苏州音.
来自辞典例句
5. Chinese immigrants should count their Blessings if their children could speak Mandarin.
