English word origin

Etymology of Chen

From Mandarin 陳／陈 (Chén). Doublet of Tan, Chan, and Tran.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

A Chinese person whose name is not known to the speaker.

name

A surname from Chinese.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Mandarin 陳／陈 (Chén). Doublet of Tan, Chan, and Tran.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Doublet mentionTanen
Doublet mentionChanen
Doublet mentionTranen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "陳",
        "2": "Chén"
      },
      "expansion": "陳／陈 (Chén)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Tan",
        "3": "Chan",
        "4": "Tran"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of Tan, Chan, and Tran"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "陳",
      "陳#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "陈",
      "陈#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "Tan",
      "Tan#English"
    ],
    [
      "Chan",
      "Chan#English"
    ],
    [
      "Tran",
      "Tran#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A Chinese person whose name is not known to the speaker."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "ethnic",
        "offensive",
        "slur"
      ],
      "recordId": "29c135b1ee5f96af736cf23c74e75cf326238c030c8041044d9e420fc1f707fb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d40bc1567f2d9d060b9e2923048117de6b72ab09d56eac1ce6f6ea3ceeaf86e3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 450895
    },
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Chinese."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "7da306b30abc3284320e9b2598f045cdf546a1f2bea8f69571f73ae29a0a38bf",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0b11774ec7f59a3ecc45e17665b089ce3e4a0c0d75c689b73aa7fa0919519f64",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 450896
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Chen →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Q2hlbg