n. A government of mandarins; character or spirit of the mandarins.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. A government by mandarins (senses 1 or 2); character or spirit of the mandarins{2}.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. The character or customs of mandarins; government by mandarins.
Word Usage
"I am not convinced that [Caldwell's] attempt to move the conversation to a question of who owns the means of literary production does anything more than nudge us toward a severe reification of outsiderness, an anti-brand mandarinism."