Chinese Gordon
Preserved but no longer current.
General Gordon (killed at Khartoum in 1885), who in 1863 was placed in command of the Ever- Victorious Army (#.v.) and in the following year succeeded, after thirty-three engagements, in putting down the Taeping rebellion, which had broken out in 1851. For this service Gordon was rewarded by the Emperor with the yellow jacket and peacock's feather of a mandarin of the first class.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Chinese Gordon” mean?
General Gordon (killed at Khartoum in 1885), who in 1863 was placed in command of the Ever- Victorious Army (#.v.) and in the following year succeeded, after thirty-three engagements, in putting down the Taeping rebellion, which had broken out in 1851. For this service Gordon was rewarded by the Emperor with the yellow jacket and peacock's feather of a mandarin of the first class.
Is “Chinese Gordon” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.