Meanings
- uncountablegastroenterologyA supposed syndrome associated with consumption of the westernized version of Chinese food, characterized by various symptoms such as burning and tingling sensations, rapid heartbeat, and drowsiness, and initially ascribed to monosodium glutamate (but possibly just psychosomatic, or hypernatremia from overconsumption of salt).
Synonyms: Chinese food syndrome, CRS
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA supposed syndrome associated with consumption of the westernized version of Chinese food, characterized by various symptoms such as burning and tingling sensations, rapid heartbeat, and drowsiness, and initially ascribed to monosodium glutamate (but possibly just psychosomatic, or hypernatremia from overconsumption of salt).
Origin
Coined by Robert Ho Man Kwok in a 1968 letter to the New England Journal of Medicine.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Chinese restaurant syndrome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20restaurant%20syndrome
“Chinese restaurant syndrome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20restaurant%20syndrome. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Chinese restaurant syndrome,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20restaurant%20syndrome.
Source: Chinese restaurant syndrome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.