mandarin

mandarin — 名詞

1. A small, sweet citrus fruit with a thin, brightly coloured skin that peels off e

1.名詞B1
釋義

柑橘；橘子

小型甜柑橘，皮薄易剝

A small, sweet citrus fruit with a thin, brightly coloured skin that peels off easily, similar to an orange but smaller and less sour.

例句

Trang peeled a mandarin and offered half to her little brother.

Trang 剝了一顆橘子，分了一半給弟弟。

fruit shared as a snack

For Lunar New Year, the family placed mandarins on the table for good luck.

農曆新年時，家人在桌上擺了一盤橘子，象徵好運。

cultural tradition: Lunar New Year symbolism

同義詞
  • tangerine

    a closely related fruit; tangerines are often slightly darker in colour and less sweet than mandarins

  • clementine

    a small seedless variety of mandarin, very sweet and popular as a snack

  • satsuma

    a loose-skinned Japanese variety of mandarin, often seedless

常見錯誤

❌I ate a mandarin orange for breakfast.
✅I ate a mandarin for breakfast.
💡the fruit is simply called a mandarin; 'mandarin orange' is a less common, repetitive label.

2. A person holding a senior position in a government or bureaucracy, especially a

2.名詞B2
釋義

官員

高級政府官員，尤指中國古代官僚

A person holding a senior position in a government or bureaucracy, especially a high-ranking civil servant in imperial China who earned their rank through a system of examinations.

例句

Under the Qing court, a mandarin earned his post through years of civil service exams.

在清廷，官員須通過多年的科舉考試才能獲得職位。

historical: civil service examination system

The emperor ordered his mandarin to inspect the flood damage in the southern provinces.

皇帝派遣他的官員前往南方各省巡視水災情況。

historical: mandarin as imperial envoy

同義詞
  • bureaucrat

    broader term for any official following rigid procedures; less specific to imperial China

  • dignitary

    focuses on the person's importance and ceremonial status rather than their administrative role

  • functionary

    a neutral or slightly dismissive term for someone with administrative duties

用法筆記

Frequently carries a slightly negative connotation of great power combined with inflexibility or self-importance. When used outside the Chinese historical context, it often implies a bureaucrat seen as overly influential or pedantic.

常見錯誤

❌The local mail carrier is a mandarin.
✅The provincial governor was a mandarin under the Qing dynasty.
💡'mandarin' refers specifically to high-ranking officials, not any government employee.

3. A powerful and influential person within a particular intellectual, artistic, or

3.名詞C1
釋義

菁英；權貴

知識或文藝圈內有影響力的人物

A powerful and influential person within a particular intellectual, artistic, or literary community, whose opinions carry great weight among their peers.

例句

The poet was seen as a mandarin of Shanghai's literary scene in the 1930s.

這位詩人被視為 1930 年代上海文壇的權威人物。

metaphorical: literary circle leader

In 1930s Beijing, literary mandarins at the university chose which novels were worth studying.

在 1930 年代的北京，大學裡的文壇權威決定哪些小說值得研究。

academic gatekeeping: time and place

同義詞
  • intellectual

    broader term for someone engaged in critical thinking; lacks the connotation of gatekeeping power

  • luminary

    positive term for someone who inspires others in their field

  • tastemaker

    someone who sets cultural or stylistic trends; more restricted to fashion and arts

反義詞
  • commoner

    an ordinary person without elite status or influence

  • outsider

    someone not part of the influential inner circle

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 2 (OFFICIAL): this sense refers to cultural and intellectual influence rather than government authority. Often used critically to suggest exclusivity and a resistance to new or popular ideas.

常見錯誤

❌The famous scientist was a government mandarin.
✅The famous scientist was a mandarin of the academic world.
💡this sense describes influence within a field, not government office.

4. The official standard form of the Chinese language, based on the Beijing dialect

4.名詞B1
釋義

國語；華語

以北京音為標準的官方中文語言

The official standard form of the Chinese language, based on the Beijing dialect, used in government, media, and education across China, Taiwan, and Singapore.

例句

Sophia moved to Taipei and took classes to improve her spoken Mandarin.

Sophia 搬到台北，並上課加強她的國語口說能力。

language learning: immersion context

The news broadcast was in Mandarin, with subtitles in English and Japanese.

新聞播報使用國語，並附有英文和日文字幕。

media: broadcast language

同義詞
  • Putonghua

    the official name for standard Mandarin in mainland China, based on the Beijing dialect

  • Standard Chinese

    a neutral term covering Mandarin as taught and used across all Chinese-speaking regions

  • Guoyu

    the term for Mandarin as the national language in Taiwan

用法筆記

In Taiwan, the language is most commonly referred to as 國語 ('national language'); in mainland China it is called 普通話 ('common speech'); in Singapore it is called 華語 ('Chinese language'). When used as a language name, it is uncountable and typically capitalised. Although the language sense is the most frequent in modern usage, it is placed fourth in this entry so the concrete, easily visualised senses (fruit, official, intellectual elite) can be covered before the more abstract language concept.

常見錯誤

❌Mandarin and Cantonese are the same language.
✅Mandarin and Cantonese are different varieties of Chinese and are not mutually intelligible.
💡Mandarin is one of many Chinese language varieties.

mandarin — 形容詞