* Chinese is a broad term referring to the language family spoken in China. This includes numerous dialects, each with distinct pronunciations, vocabulary, and grammar.
* Mandarin is one of these dialects, specifically the official language of mainland China. It's the most spoken dialect of Chinese, with over 1 billion speakers.
So, Mandarin is a type of Chinese, just like Cantonese, Hakka, and others.
Think of it this way:
* Chinese is like the umbrella term "European languages."
* Mandarin is like the specific language "French" within that umbrella.