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Glite Dictionary
chinamania

chinamania

1 9.9
A strong fashion for collecting Chinese porcelain and decorative objects
  • noun
  • /ˌtʃaɪnəˈmeɪniə/
  • Archaic
: chinamanía
  • The exhibition explores the history of chinamania in European art and design.

Examples

  • During the Victorian era, chinamania led to a surge in collecting Chinese porcelain.

  • A wave of chinamania swept through fashion circles, inspiring new styles and patterns.

  • The chinamania trend is fascinating!

  • What is chinamania?

  • In the 19th century, chinamania swept through Europe, leading many collectors to seek out exquisite Chinese porcelain.

  • The museum's new exhibit showcases chinamania, highlighting the obsession of Victorian society with collecting decorative Chinese arts.

  • During the height of chinamania, beautiful Chinese vases became a symbol of status among the affluent.

Synonyms

chinoiserie
vschinamania
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A decorative style or object that uses Chinese designs, popular in Europe in the 1700s

describes a fashion for collecting decorative wares from that style

How Popular

craze
39 4.2
chinamania
  • Archaic
1 9.9
fad
53 3.5
fashion
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

chinamania singular
chinamanias plural

Morphology

chinamania = china (transparent) = china + mania

The meaning is directly derived from 'china' (porcelain) + the suffix '-mania' (obsession), so learners who know both components can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Chinamania comes from China and -mania ('craze' or 'madness'). It was used when Europeans became very excited about Chinese goods like fine pottery and decoration, so chinamania means a craze for Chinese style and objects.