Gweilo
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Gweilo (鬼佬; Jyutping: gwai2 lou2; Cantonese IPA: kwɐɪ35 ləʊ35; Pinyin: guĭlăo; sometimes also spelt Gwailo) is a Cantonese term for Caucasian people (generally men). It literally means "ghost man" or "ghost chap"[1] and arose to describe the pale complexion, the sometimes "red hair and green/blue eyes" (紅鬚綠眼) of Caucasians. When the term is translated into English, it is often translated as foreign devil. The term arised in the 19th century due to the occupation of China by foreign powers.
The term is often considered offensive by non-Cantonese people.[2] Many Cantonese speakers, however, frequently use the term to refer to white people and westerners in general that they consider the term non-derogatory, a controversial notion.[3]. Prior to the 1980s, the term was commonly prefaced by sei (死, jyutping: sei2, meaning: death[4], damnation) as in sei gweilo, meaning "damned ghost man", a definite pejorative.
Gweilo is the most generic term, but variations include:
- To refer specifically to Caucasian women: gweipo (鬼婆, jyutping: gwai2 po4, literally: "ghost old-woman") which is also often spelt "gwai-poh"
- To refer specifically to Caucasian boys: gweijai (鬼仔, jyutping: gwai2 zai2, literally: "ghost boy")
- To refer specifically to Caucasian girls: gweimui (鬼妹, jyutping: gwai2 mui1, literally: "ghost younger-sister")
Due to its widespread use, the term gwei has taken on the general meaning of "foreigner" or "westerner" rather than just Caucasian. This use can be seen in the following terms:
- To refer to a white foreigner: bakgwei (白鬼, jyutping: baak6 gwai2, literally: "white ghost")
- To refer to a black foreigner: hukgwei (黑鬼, jyutping: haak1 gwai2, literally: "black ghost")
These terms, especially hukgwei definitely carry a pejorative tone.
Some Caucasians living in Hong Kong now occasionally use gweilo to jokingly refer to themselves. This reflects a transformation in which an ethnic group begins referring to itself with a term which was originally considered an ethnic slur.
[edit] Related terms
In Mandarin, guizi (鬼子, w:pinyin: guǐzi) is a similar term to gweilo. Guizi, however, can be used to refer to either the Japanese (specifically, 日本鬼子 rìběn guǐzi "Japan ghost" or 东洋鬼子 dōngyáng guǐzi "east ocean ghost") or Caucasians (洋鬼子 yáng guǐzi "ocean ghost"). Laowai (老外 lǎowài "old out" or "old outsider" is a word usually used for Caucasians, and is a less pejorative term in Mandarin than guizi.
[edit] See also
[edit] References and external links
- ^ Larry Feign. Gweilo cartoon.
- ^ Oriental Expat. Gaijin, Farang, Gweilo - Confused? Retrieved December 10, 2006.
- ^ Irene Yu. MP shouldn't generalize. Richmond News. November 7, 2006. Retrieved December 10, 2006.
- ^ Wishing death on someone is a curse in Chinese languages.
