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Meaning of "Chinese whispers" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF CHINESE WHISPERS

Chinese whispers play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF CHINESE WHISPERS

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Chinese whispers is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES CHINESE WHISPERS MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Chinese whispers

Chinese whispers

Chinese whispers is a game played around the world, in which one person whispers a message to another, which is passed through a line of people until the last player announces the message to the entire group. Errors typically accumulate in the retellings, so the statement announced by the last player differs significantly, and often amusingly, from the one uttered by the first. Reasons for changes include anxiousness or impatience, erroneous corrections, and that some players may deliberately alter what is being said to guarantee a changed message by the end of the line. The game is often played by children as a party game or in the playground. It is often invoked as a metaphor for cumulative error, especially the inaccuracies as rumours or gossip spread, or, more generally, for the unreliability of human recollection. The game is also known as broken telephone, operator, grapevine, whisper down the lane, gossip, don't drink the milk, secret message, the messenger game and pass the message. Today, the name "Chinese whispers" is said by some to be considered offensive.

Definition of Chinese whispers in the English dictionary

The definition of Chinese whispers in the dictionary is a game in which a message is passed on, in a whisper, by each of a number of people, so that the final version of the message is often radically changed from the original. Other definition of Chinese whispers is any situation where information is passed on in turn by a number of people, often becoming distorted in the process.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE CHINESE WHISPERS

Chinese ink
Chinese lantern
Chinese leaf
Chinese leaves
Chinese medicine
Chinese puzzle
Chinese red
Chinese restaurant syndrome
Chinese Revolution
Chinese sacred lily
Chinese treewax
Chinese Turkestan
Chinese wall
Chinese water chestnut
Chinese water deer
Chinese water torture
Chinese wax
Chinese white
Chinese windlass
Chinese wood oil

WORDS THAT END LIKE CHINESE WHISPERS

calipers
capers
champers
choppers
claspers
clippers
finders keepers
hair clippers
Jaspers
jeepers
jeepers creepers
nippers
papers
paratroopers
peepers
rompers
Sicilian Vespers
vespers
walking papers
working papers

Synonyms and antonyms of Chinese whispers in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «Chinese whispers» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF CHINESE WHISPERS

Find out the translation of Chinese whispers to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of Chinese whispers from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «Chinese whispers» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

中国窃窃私语
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

susurros chinos
570 millions of speakers

English

Chinese whispers
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

चीनी फुसफुसाते
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

همسات الصينية
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

китайские шепчет
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

sussurros chineses
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

চীনা ফিসফিস
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

chuchotements chinois
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Bisikan Cina
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Stille Post
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

伝言ゲーム
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

중국어 속삭임
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Whispers Cina
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

thì thầm của Trung Quốc
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

சீன விசாரிப்புகள்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

चीनी फुटीर
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Çin fısıldıyor
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

sussurri cinesi
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

chińskie szepty
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

китайські шепоче
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

soapte chinezesti
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

κινεζικών ψιθύρων
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

Chinese fluister
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

kinesiska viskar
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

kinesiske hvisker
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of Chinese whispers

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «CHINESE WHISPERS»

The term «Chinese whispers» is regularly used and occupies the 81.119 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
62
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «Chinese whispers» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of Chinese whispers
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «Chinese whispers».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «CHINESE WHISPERS» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «Chinese whispers» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «Chinese whispers» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about Chinese whispers

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «CHINESE WHISPERS»

Discover the use of Chinese whispers in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to Chinese whispers and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Chinese Whispers: The True Story Behind Britain's Hidden ...
You know the people in this book.
Hsiao-Hung Pai, 2008
2
Chinese Whispers: Cultural Essays
This is a literary journey of an Australian writer's encounter with the culture and people of China, particularly its young writers and artists, and of the evolving influence of China on the writer's own work and life.
Nicholas Jose, 2012
3
Chinese Whispers: Why Everything You’ve Heard About China is ...
But how accurate is this picture? What if, as Ben Chu argues, we are all engaged in a grand game of Chinese Whispers, in which the facts have become more and more distorted in the telling?
Ben Chu, 2013
4
Chinese Whispers: Poems
The original story is then compared with the final version, which has often changed beyond recognition.
John Ashbery, 2003
5
Chinese Whispers: Feng Shui Techniques for Transforming ...
With over 400 practical tips on applying its principles, this book has been produced for sophiticated readers and aesthetes alike.
Rosalyn Dexter, 2000
6
Chinese Whispers
The Beijing Ripper is at large, using the gruesome methods of his Victorian inspiration in a city as booming and squalid now as London was then.
Peter May, 2012
7
Chinese whispers: chinoiserie in Britain, 1650-1930
The story of chinoiserie in Britain is a dazzling example of contact between two very different cultures. This indispensable and beautifully illustrated guide to the chinoiserie style tells
David Beevers, Royal Pavilion, Art Gallery, and Museums, 2008
8
Chinese Whispers
Raven's dad is still missing and the search is taking her to Malaysia.
Christine Harris, 2013
9
Chinese Whispers: A Journey into Betrayal
In 1972, Jan Wong became one of only two Westerners admitted to Beijing University at the height of the Cultural Revolution. One day, a student, Yin Luoyi, sought Jan's assistance in going to the United States.
Jan Wong, 2012
10
A Book of Chinese Whispers
These prose pieces develop areas and images encountered elsewhere in Smith's poetry.
Ken Smith, 1987

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «CHINESE WHISPERS»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term Chinese whispers is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Latham & Watkins vac schemer in Wolf of Wall Street-style drugs …
So perhaps this story has been through a process of Chinese whispers. Indeed, a spokeswoman for the London office said she had nothing to ... «Legal Cheek, Jul 15»
2
Scapegoated faith healers needed in Sierra Leone health system …
At present, it is a bit like a slow system of Chinese whispers, and the information that finally reaches the top can be unreliable, Mallett said. «Sowetan Live, Jul 15»
3
Agency or algorithm: will all brands go in-house with programmatic?
As with any event in which a large mass of people get together, there will always be a drastic case of Chinese Whispers. Usually at a festival, ... «Marketing, Jul 15»
4
Mexican "restaurant" causes confusion among Ware residents
However, many people were excited at the prospect of a restaurant, which had been spread through Chinese whispers. Several Facebook ... «Hertfordshire Mercury, Jul 15»
5
Careless Whispers: Lacazette to Arsenal?
It does not mention any of the aforementioned three English clubs, of course, but it is has not taken long for this game of Chinese whispers to ... «Teamtalk.com, Jun 15»
6
Suburban Lawns Reissue Due
... and a song that featured one of the best instances of Chinese whispers ever encountered ('Janitor') the Californian five-piece lost momentum ... «The Quietus, Jun 15»
7
Kent holidaymaker back home from Sousse, Tunisia, after gunman …
“Many stories were floating about, like Chinese whispers. The internet is not great and foreign news is hard to decipher. “It could have easily ... «Kent Online, Jun 15»
8
A Lighter Look At Life: Same old recycling problems over and over …
Chinese whispers abound in our community that we are to get yet another recycling box. This one is going to be for shoes. I really don't know ... «Hinckley Times, Jun 15»
9
Ashes 2015: 'Trent Bridge was my last and most agonising Test …
Chinese whispers, asking him how I'm feeling. Bring him over here and we'll talk about it.' Simon Jones claims the wicket of Michael Clarke at ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jun 15»
10
EU summit: Greek talks collapse while Cameron's renegotiation ploy …
An increasing level of the absurd has appeared on the Twitter of sleepless Greek-watchers as talks go into the night. Chinese whispers? «Telegraph.co.uk, Jun 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Chinese whispers [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/chinese-whispers>. Apr 2024 ».
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