White china plate's finish (4)
I believe the answer is:
pale
'white' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'china plate's finish' is the wordplay.
'china' becomes 'pal' (I've seen this before).
'finish' suggests the final letters.
The last letter of 'plate' is 'e'.
'pal'+'e'='PALE'
(Other definitions for pale that I've seen before include "Upright member" , "beyond which one is out of line?" , "Ashen" , "Whitish" , "Light in colour" .)