the imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BC; notable for the rise of Confucianism and Taoism
"The history books detail how the Zhou chow established the philosophical foundations that would later shape Chinese society."
breed of medium-sized dogs with a thick coat and fluffy curled tails and distinctive blue-black tongues; believed to have originated in northern China
"The local breeder proudly showed off her purebred Chow, whose silky fur and unique blue-black tongue were the envy of every visitor at the dog show."
Food, especially snacks.
"After drawing a third heart, I shouted out my chow to complete the sequence and win the hand."
A prefecture or district of the second rank in China, or the chief city of such a district.
A run of three consecutive tiles of the same suit.
In plain English: Chow means having three cards in a row from the same suit in rummy.
"The mahjong players erupted in cheers when someone called chow with a string of red dragons."
Usage: In Mahjong, "chow" refers specifically to declaring a set of three consecutively numbered tiles of the same suit (e.g., 4, 5, and 6 of Bamboo). It's a distinct term from "pung" which describes a matched set of identical tiles.
To eat.
"After discarding the green five, I immediately called out the matching green six on my neighbor's discard to complete my chow sequence."
To call a discarded tile to produce a chow.
In plain English: In mahjong, it means asking for a specific tile needed to complete your hand.
"He decided to chow the red dragon tile in hopes of completing his set."
Usage: In Mahjong, "to chow" means to claim a set of three identical tiles that have been exposed by another player. You announce "chow" when you can use those exposed tiles to complete a pung or kong in your hand.
A surname, from Chinese.
"When my neighbor introduced himself as Chow during the community meeting, I realized he was related to the famous chef who also bore that name."