Chinese Wall
Chinese Wall noun: an information barrier within an organization, designed to ensure internal confidentiality; frequently used to prevent conflicts of interest.
Noun (1)
Chinese Wall (plural Chinese Walls)
- An information barrier within an organization, designed to ensure internal confidentiality; frequently used to prevent conflicts of interest.
- I concur in the opinion of Justice Haning, but write separately to comment on the apparently widespread use of the term "Chinese Wall" to describe the type of screening mechanism discussed in this case. While our opinion uses the term "screen," both the parties and the trial court used the term...1988. Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. v.Superior Court 200, Cal.App.3d 272, 293-294, 245 Cal.Rptr. 873, 887-888
- The enthusiasm for handy phrases of verbal shorthand is understandable. Occasionally, however, lawyers and judges use a term which is singularly inappropriate. "Chinese Wall" is one such piece of legal flotsam which should be emphatically abandoned. The term has an ethnic focus which many would...1980. The Chinese Wall Defense to Law Firm Disqualification 128 U.Pa.L.Rev. 677
- Synonyms:
- ethical screen, ethical wall
Noun (2) capitalized: Chinese wall
Chinese wall (plural Chinese walls)
- Alternative letter-case form of Chinese Wall.
Examples of Chinese Wall in a sentence
- While our opinion uses the term "screen," both the parties and the trial court used the term "Chinese Wall," which seems to have become a term of art.1988. Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. v.Superior Court 200, Cal.App.3d 272, 293-294, 245 Cal.Rptr. 873, 887-888
- "Chinese Wall" is one such piece of legal flotsam which should be emphatically abandoned.1980. The Chinese Wall Defense to Law Firm Disqualification 128 U.Pa.L.Rev. 677
Synonyms of Chinese Wall
Forms of Chinese Wall
| plural | Chinese Walls |
|---|---|
| alternative form | Chinese wall |
| alternative form | Chinese firewall |
| plural | Chinese walls |
Origin of Chinese Wall
The expression Chinese Wall comes from the Great Wall of China and became a metaphor of barriers, known to go back to the United States stock market crash of 1929. The U.S. government saw the need to maintain separation (or an information barrier) between investment bankers and brokerage firms, to limit the conflict of interest between the two. The first use of Chinese Wall in the general context of keeping confidentiality is unclear.
Questions about Chinese Wall
- What does Chinese Wall mean?
- Chinese Wall means an information barrier within an organization, designed to ensure internal confidentiality; frequently used to prevent conflicts of interest.
- How do you use Chinese Wall in a sentence?
- While our opinion uses the term "screen," both the parties and the trial court used the term "Chinese Wall," which seems to have become a term of art.
- What part of speech is Chinese Wall?
- Chinese Wall is a noun.
- What is the plural of Chinese Wall?
- The plural of Chinese Wall is Chinese Walls.
Words near Chinese Wall in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Chinese Wall (page history and authors); Chinese wall (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-Chinese Wall.ogg.
Cite this entry: “Chinese Wall.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/chinese_wall. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.