Chinese has 7 different meanings across 3 categories:
Noun · Adjective · Proper Noun
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
"Despite being mutually unintelligible, Mandarin and Cantonese are often grouped together as Chinese due to their shared ideographic writing system."
a native or inhabitant of Communist China or of Nationalist China
"After years of living abroad, she returned to become a Chinese citizen once again."
A person from China or of Chinese descent.
"The local community welcomed the new Chinese immigrants who had recently arrived in town."
In plain English: A Chinese person is someone who comes from China, which is a huge country located in East Asia.
"She brought an authentic Chinese dish to share with her friends."
Of China, its languages or people
"The Chinese language is spoken by hundreds of millions of people across China and in many other countries."
In plain English: Chinese describes anything that comes from China, such as its food, language, culture, or people.
"Many people enjoy authentic Chinese food from local restaurants in their neighborhoods."
Any of several Sinitic languages spoken in China, especially Literary Chinese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Wu, or Min Nan.
"The professor explained that while he spoke English at home, his grandmother could not understand him because she only spoke Chinese."
The word comes from China and the suffix -ese, influenced by Portuguese chinês, replacing an older form called Chinish. While it originally referred specifically to people or things from China, it is sometimes used loosely to mean generically exotic or poorly organized.