Gweilo: Difference between revisions

Gweilo
Gweilo
Chinese	鬼おに佬
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	guǐlǎo
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	gwáilóu
Jyutping	gwai2 lou2

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Gweilo or gwailou (Chinese: 鬼おに佬; Cantonese Yale: gwáilóu, pronounced [kʷɐ̌i lǒu] ^ⓘ) is a common Cantonese slang term for Westerners. In the absence of modifiers, it refers to white people and has a history of racially deprecatory and pejorative use. Cantonese speakers frequently use gwailou to refer to Westerners in general use, in a non-derogatory context, although whether this type of usage is offensive (i.e., an ethnic slur) is disputed by both Cantonese and Westerners.^[1]^[2]

Etymology and history

Gwái (鬼おに) means "ghost" or "devil", and lóu (佬) means "man" or "guy". The literal translation of gwáilóu would thus be "ghostly man" or "devil man".^[3] It is sometimes translated into English as "foreign devil".^[4] In many Sinitic languages, "ghost" can be a derogatory term used as a curse or an insult.^[5] The term ghost has also been used to describe other ethnic groups, for example, a 17th-century writer from Canton, Qu Dajun [zh; zh-yue], wrote that Africans "look like ghosts", and gwáinòuh (Chinese: 鬼おに奴やつ; lit. 'ghost slave') was once used to describe African slaves.^[6]

Moreover, a “ghost” usually being referred with “pale skin” and pupil that are not “black” in Chinese urban legends. Majority of Hong Kong local people are east Asian with “yellow” skin and “black” pupil, white people have “pale skin” and “blue” or “light coloured eyes”, which fits in the appearance of a “ghost”. Therefore, local people call white people as gwailo.

Usage

The term gwái (鬼おに) is an adjective that can be used to express hate and deprecation, an example being the locals' expression of their hatred towards the Japanese during their occupation of Hong Kong in World War II with the same gwái. It conveys a general bad and negative feeling but is a somewhat obsolete and archaic/old-fashioned term nowadays and other more modern terms have largely replaced gwái for similarly negative meanings. Cantonese people sometimes call each other sēui gwái (衰おとろえ鬼おに), which means bad person, though more often than not it is applied affectionately, similar to "Hey, bitch!" in English when used affectionately. Nowadays, Cantonese speakers often refer to non-Chinese people by their ethnicity.

Gwáilóu is often considered to be an acceptable generic racial term for Westerners.^[7] Also, some members of the Hong Kong community with European ancestry (particularly those with limited or zero Cantonese fluency) are indifferent to the term, and those who believe that the best way to defang a word intended as a "slur" is to embrace it, and use gweilo to refer to non-Chinese in Hong Kong.^[8] Gwailóu has, in some instances, been recognised as simply referring to white foreigners in South East Asia and now appears on Oxford Dictionaries defined as such,^[9] although non-white foreigners are not gwáilóu. While gwáilóu is used by some Cantonese speakers in informal speech, the more polite alternative sāi yàhn (西人せいじん; 'Western person') is now used as well, particularly if the conversation involves a non-Chinese person in order to avoid offense.^[10]

CFMT-TV in Toronto, Canada had a cooking show named Gwai Lo Cooking (1999) hosted by a Cantonese-speaking European chef, who was also the show's producer and the person who named the show. According to CFMT-TV, "Gwei Lo" was used as "a self-deprecating term of endearment".^[11] In response to some complaints, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ruled that:

While historically, "gwai lo" may have been used by Chinese people as a derogatory remark concerning foreigners, particularly European Westerners, the persons consulted by the Council indicate that it has since lost much of its derogatory overtone. The Council finds that the expression has also lost most of its religious meaning, so that "foreign devil" no longer carries the theological significance it once did. Based on its research, the Council understands that the expression has gone from being considered offensive to, at worst, merely "impolite".^[12]

Related terms

Gwai is one of a number of terms to referring to non-Chinese people that can be considered controversial and potentially offensive; a list of such terms is given below:^[10]^[13]

gwaijai (鬼おに仔こ; Cantonese Yale: gwáijái; lit. 'ghost boy') for a white boy.
gwaimui (鬼おに妹いもうと; Cantonese Yale: gwáimūi; lit. 'ghost girl') for a white girl.
gwaipo (鬼婆おにばば; Cantonese Yale: gwáipòh; lit. 'ghost woman') for white woman.
baakgwai (白しろ鬼おに; Cantonese Yale: baahkgwái; lit. 'white ghost') for white people.
haakgwai (黑くろ鬼おに; Cantonese Yale: hāakgwái; lit. 'black ghost') for Black people.
sai yan (西人せいじん; Cantonese Yale: sāi yàhn; lit. 'western person') for Westerners.
yeung yan (洋よう人じん; Cantonese Yale: yèuhng yàhn; lit. 'overseas person') for Westerners.
ngoigwok yan (外國がいこく人じん; Cantonese Yale: ngoihgwok yàhn; lit. 'foreign country person') for foreign nationals.
acha (阿おもね差さ; Cantonese Yale: achā; from "acchā" meaning "good" in Hindi) for South Asians.
molocha (摩ま囉差; Cantonese Yale: mōlōchā; lit. 'Mouro Indian') for South Asians.

Mandarin Chinese

A Boxer Rebellion pamphlet, circa 1899, that refers to foreigners as *guizi*.

Guizi (鬼子おにご; pinyin: guǐzi) is a Mandarin Chinese slang term for foreigners, and has a long history of being used as a racially deprecating insult.

Riben guizi (日本にっぽん鬼子おにご; pinyin: rìběn guǐzi; lit. 'Japanese devil') or dongyang guizi (東洋とうよう鬼子おにご; pinyin: dōngyáng guǐzi; lit. 'east ocean devil') – used to refer to Japanese.
Er guizi (二に鬼子おにご; pinyin: èr guǐzi; lit. 'second devil') – used to refer to the Korean soldiers who were a part of the Japanese army during the Sino-Japanese War in World War II.^[14]
Yang guizi (洋よう鬼子おにご; pinyin: yáng guǐzi; lit. 'Western/overseas devil') or xiyang guizi (西洋せいよう鬼子おにご; pinyin: xiyáng guǐzi; lit. 'west ocean devil') – used to refer to Westerners.

However, xiaogui (小しょう鬼おに; pinyin: xiǎoguǐ; lit. 'little ghost') is a common term in Mandarin Chinese for a child. Therefore, some argue that gui (鬼おに) in Mandarin is just a neutral word that describes something unexpected or hard to predict.^{[citation needed]}

Laowai (老ろう外そと; pinyin: lǎowài; lit. 'old foreigner/outsider') is the word most commonly used for foreigners and is a less pejorative term than guizi. Although laowai literally means "old foreigner", depending on context, "old" can be both a term of endearment and one of criticism.

References

^ Yu, Irene (7 November 2006). "MP shouldn't generalize". Richmond News. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
^ Brown, Jules. Gardner, Dinah. Hong Kong and Macau, 2002. Rough Guides publishing. ISBN 978-1-85828-872-7. p 399
^ Patrick J. Cummings; Hans-Georg Wolf (2011). A Dictionary of Hong Kong English: Words from the Fragrant Harbor. Hong Kong University Press. p. 69. ISBN 9789888083305.
^ Lafayette De Mente, Boyé (2000). The Chinese Have a Word for It: The Complete Guide to Chinese Thought and Culture. McGraw-Hill. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-658-01078-1. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
^ Judith T. Zeitlin (2007). The Phantom Heroine: Ghosts and Gender in Seventheenth-century Chinese Literature. University of Hawaii Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0824830915. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
^ Zhidong Hao (2011). Macau History and Society. Hong Kong University Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-9888028542.
^ David Leffman; Jules Brown (2009). The Rough Guide to Hong Kong & Macau (7th ed.). Rough Guides. p. 338. ISBN 978-1848361881.
^ D'Souza, Ajay. "SBS Radio – I'm on the radio again! » Cantonese.hk: The views and experiences of an Australian learning Cantonese". Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
^ "gweilo – definition of gweilo in English – Oxford Dictionaries". Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
^ ^a ^b Yip, Virginia; Matthews, Stephen (2001). Intermediate Cantonese: A Grammar and Workbook. London: Routledge. pp. 168–70. ISBN 0-415-19387-7.
^ Appendix to 'CFMT-TV re Gwai Lo Cooking ' Archived 28 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, CBSC Decision 99/00-0220. Decided 6 July 2000
^ "CFMT-TV re Gwai Lo Cooking", Archived 7 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, CBSC Decision 99/00-0220. Decided 6 July 2000
^ Patrick J. Cummings; Hans-Georg Wolf (2011). A Dictionary of Hong Kong English: Words from the Fragrant Harbor. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 67–68. ISBN 9789888083305. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
^ 第だい一いち滴てき血ち──從したがえ日方ひかた史料しりょう還かえ原げん平たいら型がた關せき之の戰たたかえ日び軍ぐん損失そんしつ (6) Archived 3 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. People's Daily. December 16, 2011

External links

"Is Using the Term "Gweilo" Discriminatory in the Hong Kong Workplace?". Mayer Brown. 17 February 2022.
"Is 'gweilo' a racist word? Our editors discuss". South China Morning Post. 12 September 2018.
Fafata, Brett (8 March 2018). "Are Cantonese terms like "gweilo" outdated and offensive in Asia's World City?". Young Post. - Opinion

[yu-1] Yu, Irene (7 November 2006). "MP shouldn't generalize". Richmond News. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2014.

[2] Brown, Jules. Gardner, Dinah. Hong Kong and Macau, 2002. Rough Guides publishing. ISBN 978-1-85828-872-7. p 399

[3] Patrick J. Cummings; Hans-Georg Wolf (2011). A Dictionary of Hong Kong English: Words from the Fragrant Harbor. Hong Kong University Press. p. 69. ISBN 9789888083305.

[Lafay-4] Lafayette De Mente, Boyé (2000). The Chinese Have a Word for It: The Complete Guide to Chinese Thought and Culture. McGraw-Hill. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-658-01078-1. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.

[5] Judith T. Zeitlin (2007). The Phantom Heroine: Ghosts and Gender in Seventheenth-century Chinese Literature. University of Hawaii Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0824830915. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2018.

[6] Zhidong Hao (2011). Macau History and Society. Hong Kong University Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-9888028542.

[7] David Leffman; Jules Brown (2009). The Rough Guide to Hong Kong & Macau (7th ed.). Rough Guides. p. 338. ISBN 978-1848361881.

[8] D'Souza, Ajay. "SBS Radio – I'm on the radio again! » Cantonese.hk: The views and experiences of an Australian learning Cantonese". Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2017.

[oxforddictionaries.com-9] "gweilo – definition of gweilo in English – Oxford Dictionaries". Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2017.

[IntermediateCantonese-10] Yip, Virginia; Matthews, Stephen (2001). Intermediate Cantonese: A Grammar and Workbook. London: Routledge. pp. 168–70. ISBN 0-415-19387-7.

[11] Appendix to 'CFMT-TV re Gwai Lo Cooking ' Archived 28 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, CBSC Decision 99/00-0220. Decided 6 July 2000

[12] "CFMT-TV re Gwai Lo Cooking", Archived 7 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, CBSC Decision 99/00-0220. Decided 6 July 2000

[13] Patrick J. Cummings; Hans-Georg Wolf (2011). A Dictionary of Hong Kong English: Words from the Fragrant Harbor. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 67–68. ISBN 9789888083305. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2020.

[people20111216-14] 第だい一いち滴てき血ち──從したがえ日方ひかた史料しりょう還かえ原げん平たいら型がた關せき之の戰たたかえ日び軍ぐん損失そんしつ (6) Archived 3 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. People's Daily. December 16, 2011

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
 {{Short description|"Ghost person"; Cantonese slang for white people, sometimes as a racial slur}}
+{{redirect|Foreign devil|other uses|Foreign Devil (disambiguation){{!}}Foreign Devil (disambiguation)}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
 {{Use American English|date = February 2019}}
+{{Infobox Chinese
-{{redirect|Foreign devil|other uses|Foreign Devil (disambiguation){{!}}Foreign Devil}}
-{{Chinese
 |c=鬼おに佬|p=guǐlǎo|j=gwai2 lou2|y=gwáilóu}}
-{{italic title}}'''''Gweilo''''' or '''{{transl|zh|gwailou}}''' ({{zh|c={{linktext|鬼おに佬}}|cy=gwáilóu}}, pronounced {{IPA-yue|kʷɐ̌i lǒu||Yue-鬼おに佬.oga}}) is a common [[Cantonese slang|Cantonese slur term]] for [[Western world|Westerners]]. In the absence of modifiers, it refers to [[white people]] and has a history of racially deprecatory and pejorative use. Cantonese speakers frequently use {{transl|zh|gwailou}} to refer to Westerners in general use, in a non-derogatory context, although whether this type of usage is offensive (i.e., an [[ethnic slur]]) is disputed by both Cantonese and Westerners.<ref name=yu>{{cite web|last=Yu|first=Irene|title=MP shouldn't generalize|url=http://www.richmond-news.com/issues06/112106/opinion/112106le1.html|publisher=Richmond News|access-date=12 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312140025/http://www.richmond-news.com/issues06/112106/opinion/112106le1.html|archive-date=12 March 2007|date=7 November 2006}}</ref><ref>Brown, Jules. Gardner, Dinah. ''Hong Kong and Macau'', 2002. Rough Guides publishing. {{ISBN|978-1-85828-872-7}}. p 399</ref>
+{{italic title}}'''''Gweilo''''' or '''{{transliteration|zh|gwailou}}''' ({{zh|c={{linktext|鬼おに佬}}|cy=gwáilóu}}, pronounced {{IPA-yue|kʷɐ̌i lǒu||Yue-鬼おに佬.oga}}) is a common [[Cantonese slang|Cantonese slang term]] for [[Western world|Westerners]]. In the absence of modifiers, it refers to [[white people]] and has a history of racially deprecatory and pejorative use. Cantonese speakers frequently use {{transliteration|zh|gwailou}} to refer to Westerners in general use, in a non-derogatory context, although whether this type of usage is offensive (i.e., an [[ethnic slur]]) is disputed by both Cantonese and Westerners.<ref name=yu>{{cite web|last=Yu|first=Irene|title=MP shouldn't generalize|url=http://www.richmond-news.com/issues06/112106/opinion/112106le1.html|publisher=Richmond News|access-date=12 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312140025/http://www.richmond-news.com/issues06/112106/opinion/112106le1.html|archive-date=12 March 2007|date=7 November 2006}}</ref><ref>Brown, Jules. Gardner, Dinah. ''Hong Kong and Macau'', 2002. Rough Guides publishing. {{ISBN|978-1-85828-872-7}}. p 399</ref>
 {{TOC limit|2}}
 ==Etymology and history==
-''Gwái'' ({{linktext|鬼おに}}) means "ghost" or "devil", and ''lóu'' ({{linktext|佬}}) means "man" or "guy". The literal translation of ''gwáilóu'' would thus be "ghostly man" or "devil man".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e5AQTRptrk0C&pg=PA69 |title=A Dictionary of Hong Kong English: Words from the Fragrant Harbor |author= Patrick J. Cummings |author2= Hans-Georg Wolf |page=69 |publisher= Hong Kong University Press |year=2011 |isbn=9789888083305 }}</ref> It is sometimes translated into English as "foreign devil".<ref name="Lafay">{{cite book |title=The Chinese Have a Word for It: The Complete Guide to Chinese Thought and Culture |last=Lafayette De Mente |first=Boyé |year=2000 |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill Professional|McGraw-Hill]] |isbn=978-0-658-01078-1 |page=145 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yx8AC_d3lWgC&q=Lafayette+De+Mente,+Boy%C3%A9.+The+Chinese+Have+a+Word+for+It:+The+Complete+Guide+to+Chinese+Thought+and+Culture,&pg=PR1 |access-date=28 October 2016 |archive-date=21 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221201006/https://books.google.com/books?id=Yx8AC_d3lWgC&pg=PR1&dq=Lafayette+De+Mente,+Boy%C3%A9.+The+Chinese+Have+a+Word+for+It:+The+Complete+Guide+to+Chinese+Thought+and+Culture,&cd=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> In Chinese, "ghost" can be a derogatory term used as a curse or an insult.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Wph7HEm958C&pg=PA4 |title=The Phantom Heroine: Ghosts and Gender in Seventheenth-century Chinese Literature |author=Judith T. Zeitlin |page=4 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0824830915 |access-date=23 October 2018 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307145704/https://books.google.com/books?id=8Wph7HEm958C&pg=PA4 |url-status=live }}</ref>  The term ''ghost'' has also been used to describe other ethnic groups, for example, a 17th-century writer from [[Guangdong|Canton]], {{ill|Qu Dajun|zh|屈こごめ大だい均ひとし|zh-yue|屈こごめ大だい均ひとし}}, wrote that Africans "look like ghosts", and ''gwáinòu'' ({{zh|c={{linktext|鬼おに|奴やつ}}|l=ghost slave}}) was once used to describe African slaves.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LP9q1dzVRYQC&pg=PA86 |title=Macau History and Society |author= Zhidong Hao |page=86|publisher=Hong Kong University Press |year= 2011 |isbn= 978-9888028542 }}</ref>
+''Gwái'' ({{linktext|鬼おに}}) means "ghost" or "devil", and ''lóu'' ({{linktext|佬}}) means "man" or "guy". The literal translation of ''gwáilóu'' would thus be "ghostly man" or "devil man".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e5AQTRptrk0C&pg=PA69 |title=A Dictionary of Hong Kong English: Words from the Fragrant Harbor |author= Patrick J. Cummings |author2= Hans-Georg Wolf |page=69 |publisher= Hong Kong University Press |year=2011 |isbn=9789888083305 }}</ref> It is sometimes translated into English as "foreign devil".<ref name="Lafay">{{cite book |title=The Chinese Have a Word for It: The Complete Guide to Chinese Thought and Culture |last=Lafayette De Mente |first=Boyé |year=2000 |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill Professional|McGraw-Hill]] |isbn=978-0-658-01078-1 |page=145 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yx8AC_d3lWgC&q=Lafayette+De+Mente,+Boy%C3%A9.+The+Chinese+Have+a+Word+for+It:+The+Complete+Guide+to+Chinese+Thought+and+Culture,&pg=PR1 |access-date=28 October 2016 |archive-date=21 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221201006/https://books.google.com/books?id=Yx8AC_d3lWgC&pg=PR1&dq=Lafayette+De+Mente,+Boy%C3%A9.+The+Chinese+Have+a+Word+for+It:+The+Complete+Guide+to+Chinese+Thought+and+Culture,&cd=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> In many [[Sinitic languages]], "ghost" can be a derogatory term used as a curse or an insult.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Wph7HEm958C&pg=PA4 |title=The Phantom Heroine: Ghosts and Gender in Seventheenth-century Chinese Literature |author=Judith T. Zeitlin |page=4 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0824830915 |access-date=23 October 2018 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307145704/https://books.google.com/books?id=8Wph7HEm958C&pg=PA4 |url-status=live }}</ref>  The term ''ghost'' has also been used to describe other ethnic groups, for example, a 17th-century writer from [[Guangdong|Canton]], {{ill|Qu Dajun|zh|屈こごめ大だい均ひとし|zh-yue|屈こごめ大だい均ひとし}}, wrote that Africans "look like ghosts", and ''gwáinòuh'' ({{zh|c={{linktext|鬼おに|奴やつ}}|l=ghost slave}}) was once used to describe African slaves.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LP9q1dzVRYQC&pg=PA86 |title=Macau History and Society |author= Zhidong Hao |page=86|publisher=Hong Kong University Press |year= 2011 |isbn= 978-9888028542 }}</ref>
+Moreover, a “ghost” usually being referred with “pale skin” and [[pupil]] that are not “black” in [[Nie Xiaoqian|Chinese urban legends]]. Majority of Hong Kong local people are east Asian with “yellow” skin and “black” pupil, white people have “[[Light skin|pale]] skin” and “blue” or “[[Eye color|light coloured eyes]]”, which fits in the appearance of a “ghost”. Therefore, local people call white people as gwailo.
 ==Usage==
 The term ''gwái'' ({{linktext|鬼おに}}) is an adjective that can be used to express hate and deprecation, an example being the locals' expression of their hatred towards the Japanese during their occupation of Hong Kong in [[World War II]] with the same ''gwái''. It conveys a general bad and negative feeling but is a somewhat obsolete and archaic/old-fashioned term nowadays and other more modern terms have largely replaced ''gwái'' for similarly negative meanings. Cantonese people sometimes call each other ''sēui gwái'' ({{linktext|衰おとろえ鬼おに}}), which means ''bad person'', though more often than not it is applied affectionately, similar to "[[Bitch (slang)|Hey, bitch]]!" in English when used affectionately. Nowadays, Cantonese speakers often refer to non-Chinese people by their ethnicity.
-''Gwáilóu'' is often considered to be an acceptable generic racial term for Westerners.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781848361881 |url-access=registration |title= The Rough Guide to Hong Kong & Macau|author= David Leffman|author2= Jules Brown |page= [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781848361881/page/338 338] |publisher=Rough Guides |edition= 7th |year= 2009 |isbn= 978-1848361881 }}</ref>  Also, some members of the Hong Kong community with European ancestry (particularly those with limited or zero Cantonese fluency) are indifferent to the term, and those who believe that the best way to defang a word intended as a "slur" is to embrace it, and use gweilo to refer to non-Chinese in Hong Kong.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cantonese.hk/wp/2007/11/28/on-the-radio-again/|title=SBS Radio – I'm on the radio again! » Cantonese.hk: The views and experiences of an Australian learning Cantonese|first=Ajay|last=D'Souza|access-date=3 February 2017|archive-date=18 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318043918/http://cantonese.hk/wp/2007/11/28/on-the-radio-again/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Gwailóu'' has, in some instances, been recognised as simply referring to white foreigners in South East Asia and now appears on [[Oxford Dictionaries]] defined as such,<ref name="oxforddictionaries.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/gweilo|title=gweilo – definition of gweilo in English – Oxford Dictionaries|access-date=3 February 2017|archive-date=21 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621153039/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/gweilo|url-status=live}}</ref> although non-Caucasian foreigners are not ''gwáilóu''. While ''gwáilóu'' is used by some Cantonese speakers in informal speech, the more polite alternative ''sāi yàn'' ({{zh|c=西人せいじん|l=Western person|labels=no}}) is now used as well, particularly if the conversation involves a non-Chinese person in order to avoid offense.<ref name="IntermediateCantonese"/>
+''Gwáilóu'' is often considered to be an acceptable generic racial term for Westerners.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781848361881 |url-access=registration |title= The Rough Guide to Hong Kong & Macau|author= David Leffman|author2= Jules Brown |page= [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781848361881/page/338 338] |publisher=Rough Guides |edition= 7th |year= 2009 |isbn= 978-1848361881 }}</ref>  Also, some members of the Hong Kong community with European ancestry (particularly those with limited or zero Cantonese fluency) are indifferent to the term, and those who believe that the best way to defang a word intended as a "slur" is to embrace it, and use gweilo to refer to non-Chinese in Hong Kong.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cantonese.hk/wp/2007/11/28/on-the-radio-again/|title=SBS Radio – I'm on the radio again! » Cantonese.hk: The views and experiences of an Australian learning Cantonese|first=Ajay|last=D'Souza|access-date=3 February 2017|archive-date=18 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318043918/http://cantonese.hk/wp/2007/11/28/on-the-radio-again/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Gwailóu'' has, in some instances, been recognised as simply referring to white foreigners in South East Asia and now appears on [[Oxford Dictionaries (website)|Oxford Dictionaries]] defined as such,<ref name="oxforddictionaries.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/gweilo|title=gweilo – definition of gweilo in English – Oxford Dictionaries|access-date=3 February 2017|archive-date=21 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621153039/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/gweilo|url-status=dead}}</ref> although non-white foreigners are not ''gwáilóu''. While ''gwáilóu'' is used by some Cantonese speakers in informal speech, the more polite alternative ''sāi yàhn'' ({{zh|c=西人せいじん|l=Western person|labels=no}}) is now used as well, particularly if the conversation involves a non-Chinese person in order to avoid offense.<ref name="IntermediateCantonese"/>
+[[CFMT-TV]] in [[Toronto]], Canada had a cooking show named ''Gwai Lo Cooking'' (1999) hosted by a Cantonese-speaking European chef, who was also the show's producer and the person who named the show. According to CFMT-TV, ''"Gwei Lo"'' was used as "a self-deprecating term of endearment".<ref>[http://www.cbsc.ca/english/decisions/2000/000809appendix.pdf Appendix to 'CFMT-TV re ''Gwai Lo Cooking'' '] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528114456/http://www.cbsc.ca/english/decisions/2000/000809appendix.pdf|date=28 May 2008}}, CBSC Decision 99/00-0220. Decided 6 July 2000</ref> In response to some complaints, the [[Canadian Broadcast Standards Council]] ruled that:
-[[CFMT-TV]] in [[Toronto]], Canada had a cooking show named ''Gwai Lo Cooking'' (1999) hosted by a Cantonese-speaking European chef, who was also the show's producer and the person who named the show. According to CFMT-TV, ''"Gwei Lo"'' was used as "a self-deprecating term of endearment".<ref>[http://www.cbsc.ca/english/decisions/2000/000809appendix.pdf Appendix to 'CFMT-TV re ''Gwai Lo Cooking'' '] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528114456/http://www.cbsc.ca/english/decisions/2000/000809appendix.pdf|date=28 May 2008}},CBSC Decision 99/00-0220. Decided 6 July 2000</ref> In response to some complaints, the [[Canadian Broadcast Standards Council]] ruled that:
+{{blockquote|While historically, "gwai lo" may have been used by Chinese people as a derogatory remark concerning foreigners, particularly European Westerners, the persons consulted by the Council indicate that it has since lost much of its derogatory overtone. The Council finds that the expression has also lost most of its religious meaning, so that "foreign devil" no longer carries the theological significance it once did. Based on its research, the Council understands that the expression has gone from being considered offensive to, at worst, merely "impolite".<ref>[http://www.cbsc.ca/english/decisions/2000/000809.php "CFMT-TV re ''Gwai Lo Cooking''"], {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807090728/http://www.cbsc.ca/english/decisions/2000/000809.php|date=7 August 2011}}, CBSC Decision 99/00-0220. Decided 6 July 2000</ref>}}
-{{quote|... While historically, "gwai lo" may have been used by Chinese people as a derogatory remark concerning foreigners, particularly European Westerners, the persons consulted by the Council indicate that it has since lost much of its derogatory overtone. The Council finds that the expression has also lost most of its religious meaning, so that "foreign devil" no longer carries the theological significance it once did. Based on its research, the Council understands that the expression has gone from being considered offensive to, at worst, merely "impolite."<ref>[http://www.cbsc.ca/english/decisions/2000/000809.php CFMT-TV re ''Gwai Lo Cooking''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807090728/http://www.cbsc.ca/english/decisions/2000/000809.php|date=7 August 2011}}, CBSC Decision 99/00-0220. Decided 6 July 2000</ref>}}
 == Related terms ==
-''Gwai'' is one of the term of various terms to refer to a white foreigner that is considered controversial and potentially offensive; other Cantonese term exists when referring to foreigners,  a list of which is given below:<ref name="IntermediateCantonese">{{cite book|last=Yip|first=Virginia|author2=Matthews, Stephen|title=Intermediate Cantonese: A Grammar and Workbook|url=https://archive.org/details/intermediatecant00yipv|url-access=limited|publisher=Routledge|year=2001|location=London|pages=[https://archive.org/details/intermediatecant00yipv/page/n184 168]–70|isbn=0-415-19387-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e5AQTRptrk0C&pg=PA68 |title=A Dictionary of Hong Kong English: Words from the Fragrant Harbor |author=Patrick J. Cummings |author2=Hans-Georg Wolf |pages=67–68 |publisher=Hong Kong University Press |year=2011 |isbn=9789888083305 |access-date=14 May 2020 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307145731/https://books.google.com/books?id=e5AQTRptrk0C&pg=PA68 |url-status=live }}</ref>
+''Gwai'' is one of a number of terms to referring to non-Chinese people that can be considered controversial and potentially offensive; a list of such terms is given below:<ref name="IntermediateCantonese">{{cite book|last=Yip|first=Virginia|author2=Matthews, Stephen|title=Intermediate Cantonese: A Grammar and Workbook|url=https://archive.org/details/intermediatecant00yipv|url-access=limited|publisher=Routledge|year=2001|location=London|pages=[https://archive.org/details/intermediatecant00yipv/page/n184 168]–70|isbn=0-415-19387-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e5AQTRptrk0C&pg=PA68 |title=A Dictionary of Hong Kong English: Words from the Fragrant Harbor |author=Patrick J. Cummings |author2=Hans-Georg Wolf |pages=67–68 |publisher=Hong Kong University Press |year=2011 |isbn=9789888083305 |access-date=14 May 2020 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307145731/https://books.google.com/books?id=e5AQTRptrk0C&pg=PA68 |url-status=live }}</ref>
-* '''''gwaijai''''' ({{linktext|鬼おに仔こ}}; {{zh|cy=gwáijái|l=ghost boy}}) for Caucasian boy.
+* '''''gwaijai''''' ({{linktext|鬼おに仔こ}}; {{zh|cy=gwáijái|l=ghost boy}}) for a white boy.
-* '''''gwaimui''''' ({{linktext|鬼おに妹いもうと}}; {{zh|cy=gwáimūi|l=ghost girl}}) for Caucasian girl.
+* '''''gwaimui''''' ({{linktext|鬼おに妹いもうと}}; {{zh|cy=gwáimūi|l=ghost girl}}) for a white girl.
-* '''''gwaipo''''' ({{linktext|鬼婆おにばば}}; {{zh|cy=gwáipò|l=ghost woman}}) for Caucasian woman.
+* '''''gwaipo''''' ({{linktext|鬼婆おにばば}}; {{zh|cy=gwáipòh|l=ghost woman}}) for white woman.
-* '''''baakgwai''''' ({{linktext|白しろ鬼おに}}; {{zh|cy=baahkgwái|l=white ghost}}) for Caucasian people.
+* '''''baakgwai''''' ({{linktext|白しろ鬼おに}}; {{zh|cy=baahkgwái|l=white ghost}}) for white people.
 * '''''haakgwai''''' ({{linktext|黑くろ鬼おに}}; {{zh|cy=hāakgwái|l=black ghost}}) for [[Black people]].
-* '''''sai yan''''' ({{linktext|西人せいじん}}; {{zh|cy=sāi yàn|l=western person}}) for [[Western world|Westerner]]s.
+* '''''sai yan''''' ({{linktext|西人せいじん}}; {{zh|cy=sāi yàhn|l=western person}}) for [[Western world|Westerner]]s.
-* '''''yeung yan''''' ({{linktext|洋よう人じん}}; {{zh|cy=yèung yàn|l=overseas person}}) for [[Western world|Westerner]]s.
+* '''''yeung yan''''' ({{linktext|洋よう人じん}}; {{zh|cy=yèuhng yàhn|l=overseas person}}) for [[Western world|Westerner]]s.
-* '''''ngoigwok yan''''' ({{linktext|外國がいこく人じん}}; {{zh|cy=ngoih gwok yàn|l=foreign country person}}) for [[foreign national]]s.
+* '''''ngoigwok yan''''' ({{linktext|外國がいこく人じん}}; {{zh|cy=ngoihgwok yàhn|l=foreign country person}}) for [[foreign national]]s.
 * '''''acha''''' ({{linktext|阿おもね差さ}}; {{zh|cy=achā}}; from "acchā" meaning "good" in [[Hindi]]) for [[South Asia]]ns.
 * '''''molocha''''' ({{lang|zh|摩ま囉差}}; {{zh|cy=mōlōchā|l=[[Moors|Mouro]] Indian}}) for [[South Asia]]ns.
@@ Line 39: / Line 40: @@
 ''[[Guizi]]'' ({{linktext|鬼子おにご}}; {{zh|p=guǐzi}}) is a [[Mandarin Chinese]] slang term for foreigners, and has a long history of being used as a racially deprecating insult.
-* '''''Riben guizi''''' ({{linktext|日本にっぽん鬼子おにご}}; {{zh|p=rìběn guǐzi|l=Japanese devil}}) or '''''dongyang guizi''''' ({{linktext|東洋とうよう|鬼子おにご}}; {{zh|p=dōngyáng guǐzi|l=east ocean devil}}) - used to refer to [[Japanese people|Japanese]].
+* '''''Riben guizi''''' ({{linktext|日本にっぽん鬼子おにご}}; {{zh|p=rìběn guǐzi|l=Japanese devil}}) or '''''dongyang guizi''''' ({{linktext|東洋とうよう|鬼子おにご}}; {{zh|p=dōngyáng guǐzi|l=east ocean devil}}) – used to refer to [[Japanese people|Japanese]].
-* '''''Er guizi''''' ({{linktext|二に鬼子おにご}}; {{zh|p=èr guǐzi|l=second devil}}) - used to refer to the [[Korean people|Korean]] soldiers who were a part of the Japanese army during the Sino-Japanese war in World War II.<ref name=people20111216>[http://dangshi.people.com.cn/BIG5/16632423.html 第だい一いち滴てき血ち──從したがえ日方ひかた史料しりょう還かえ原げん平たいら型がた關せき之の戰たたかえ日び軍ぐん損失そんしつ (6)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203102443/http://dangshi.people.com.cn/BIG5/16632423.html |date=3 February 2014 }} News of the Communist Party of China December 16, 2011</ref>
+* '''''Er guizi''''' ({{linktext|二に鬼子おにご}}; {{zh|p=èr guǐzi|l=second devil}}) – used to refer to the [[Korean people|Korean]] soldiers who were a part of the Japanese army during the Sino-Japanese War in World War II.<ref name="people20111216">[http://dangshi.people.com.cn/BIG5/16632423.html 第だい一いち滴てき血ち──從したがえ日方ひかた史料しりょう還かえ原げん平たいら型がた關せき之の戰たたかえ日び軍ぐん損失そんしつ (6)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203102443/http://dangshi.people.com.cn/BIG5/16632423.html|date=3 February 2014}}. [[People's Daily]]. December 16, 2011</ref>
-* '''''Yang guizi''''' ({{linktext|洋よう鬼子おにご}}; {{zh|p=yáng guǐzi|l=Western/overseas devil}}) or '''''xiyang guizi''''' ({{linktext|西洋せいよう|鬼子おにご}}; {{zh|p=xiyáng guǐzi|l=west ocean devil}}) - used to refer to [[Western world|Westerners]].
+* '''''Yang guizi''''' ({{linktext|洋よう鬼子おにご}}; {{zh|p=yáng guǐzi|l=Western/overseas devil}}) or '''''xiyang guizi''''' ({{linktext|西洋せいよう|鬼子おにご}}; {{zh|p=xiyáng guǐzi|l=west ocean devil}}) – used to refer to [[Western world|Westerners]].
-However, ''xiaogui'' ({{linktext|小しょう鬼おに}}; {{zh|p=xiǎoguǐ|l=little ghost}}) is a common term in Mandarin Chinese for a child. Therefore, some argue that ''gui'' ({{lang|zh|鬼おに}}) in Mandarin is just a neutral word that describes non-expectable or something hard to predict.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}
+However, ''xiaogui'' ({{linktext|小しょう鬼おに}}; {{zh|p=xiǎoguǐ|l=little ghost}}) is a common term in Mandarin Chinese for a child. Therefore, some argue that ''gui'' ({{lang|zh|鬼おに}}) in Mandarin is just a neutral word that describes something unexpected or hard to predict.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}
-''[[Laowai]]'' ({{lang|zh|老ろう外そと}}; {{zh|p=lǎowài|l=old foreigner/outsider}}) is the word most commonly used for foreigners and is a less pejorative term than ''guizi''. Although ''laowai'' literally means "old foreigner", but depending on context, "old" can be both a term of endearment and one of criticism. The pejorative aspect of the term ''laowai'' comes from conjoining the words old and outsider, suggesting the described person to be a visibly aged and unfamiliar, characteristics usually associated with apparitions or ghosts.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}
+''[[Laowai]]'' ({{lang|zh|老ろう外そと}}; {{zh|p=lǎowài|l=old foreigner/outsider}}) is the word most commonly used for foreigners and is a less pejorative term than ''guizi''. Although ''laowai'' literally means "old foreigner", depending on context, "old" can be both a term of endearment and one of criticism.
-*
-{{Portal|China}}
 ==See also==
-{{Div col}}
+{{Portal|China}}
+{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
 *[[Bule (term)|Bule]]
 *[[Chinaman (term)|Chinaman]]
@@ Line 60: / Line 61: @@
 *[[Gringo]]
 *[[Guizi]]
-* [[Gweilo Beer]]
+*[[Gweilo Beer]]
 *[[Haole]]
 *[[Laowai]]
@@ Line 66: / Line 67: @@
 *[[Mat Salleh]]
 *''[[Round Eyes in the Middle Kingdom]]'' (documentary)
-{{Div col end}}
+{{div col end}}
 ==References==
@@ Line 84: / Line 85: @@
 [[Category:Cantonese words and phrases]]
 [[Category:Culture of Hong Kong]]
-[[Category:Ethnic and religious slurs]]
 [[Category:Pejorative terms for European people]]
 [[Category:Racism in China]]
 [[Category:Xenophobia in Asia]]
+[[Category:Discrimination in Hong Kong]]

v t e Terms for Europeans
Africa	Buckra (Efik) Mbakara (Anaang)/(Efik)/(Ibibio) Mondele (Lingala) Mzungu (Swahili) Oburoni (Akan) Oyibo/Oyinbo (Igbo)/(Yoruba) Pied-noir (French) Toubab (Wolof)
Asia	Ang mo (Hokkien) Bule (Indonesian) Farang (Persian-Thai) Gora (Hindi-Urdu) Goy (Hebrew) Guizi (Mandarin) Gweilo (Cantonese) Mat Salleh (Malaysian) Totok (Indonesian)
Europe	Gadjo (Romani) Goy (Hebrew, Yiddish)
North America	Béké (Igbo) Cracker (English) Honky (Etymology undetermined) Redleg (English) Redneck (English) Wasi'chu (Lakota)
Oceania	Caldoche (French) Haole (Hawaiian) Pākehā (Māori) Palagi (Samoan) Zoreilles (Réunion Creole)
South America	Gabacho (Spanish) Gringo (Spanish)