Bryson•s Dictionary for Writers and Editors

Chinese names / chord, cord
� 69
Chinese names. The system now used almost everywhere for transliterating
Chinese names into English is Pinyin (which means
transcription). This has occasioned many striking changes in
the rendering of Chinese names: Mao Tse-tung is now Mao Zedong;
Peking is now Beijing. In some cases, particularly where
long-established names are concerned, older forms continue to
be used—Confucius, Hong Kong, Shanghai—but even many of
these are slowly changing. If uncertain, or where confusion is
likely, it is a courtesy to give both names: “Chang Jiang River,
formerly known as the Yangtze.”
Chingachgook. Character in James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The
Deerslayer (1841).
chinook. Warm, dry wind that blows off the Rocky Mountains.
chipmunk. Not -monk.
Chippendale, Thomas. (c. 1718–1779) English furniture designer and
manufacturer.
Chi¸sinău. Capital of Moldova.
chitterlings is the formal name of the dish made from pig’s intestines,
but it is often more informally spelled chitlins.
chivvy. To hurry or harass.
chlorophyll.
chockfull (or chock-full). But the brand of coffee and restaurants is
Chock full o’Nuts.
chocolate.
Choctaw. Native American group.
cholesterol.
Chomsky, Noam. (1928–) American linguist.
Chongqing. City in Sichuan Province, China; formerly referred to as
Chungking.
Chopin, Frédéric François. (1810–1849) Polish composer.
chord, cord. A chord is a group of musical notes or a type of arc in
geometry; a cord is a length of rope or similar material of