Annex II: Glossary (English – Chinese – Malay)

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This glossary collects the key terms of finance, trade and law used in this book and gives each one in English, in Chinese and in Malay. English is the working language of Singapore’s courts, regulators and financial institutions, so the English term is always the authoritative one. The Chinese and Malay equivalents help the reader who meets the same institution or concept in a Chinese-language newspaper, a Malay-language government publication or a conversation with a client from the region.

Chinese terms are given in simplified characters, in the form Singapore adopted from the People’s Republic, followed by Hanyu Pinyin with tone marks.¹ Where Singapore usage differs from usage in the People’s Republic, the Singapore form is preferred, as in 执照 (zhízhào) for a licence and 上诉庭 (shàngsù tíng) for the Court of Appeal. Malay terms follow the standard spelling shared by Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei through the MABBIM language council, with the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka dictionaries as the reference. For the names of Singapore institutions, the form used by the institution itself takes precedence over dictionary forms.

Several terms of modern finance have no settled equivalent in Chinese or Malay. In these cases the glossary gives the form found most often in official or professional use. Where a footnote is given, it names the source of the equivalent. Entries without a footnote record common equivalents that are found in the standard bilingual dictionaries and in everyday professional use.

Each entry has the same form: the English term, the Chinese term with its pinyin, the Malay term and a definition in one sentence. Chapter references point to the place in the book where the term is discussed in detail.

Notes

1. Wikipedia, “Singaporean Mandarin”, as cited in Chapter J.II. ↩

For general information only. This article does not constitute legal or tax advice, does not replace advice on an individual case and creates no lawyer-client relationship. It reflects the legal position as of October 2026.