Gweilo
Gweilo , sometimes also Gwailo , ( Cantonese 鬼佬 Pinyin guĭlăo Jyutping gwai 2 lou 2 IPA (Cantonese) kwɐɪ 35 ləʊ 35 ) is a Cantonese name for Europeans and people of European descent from other western countries.
term
The literal translation means "ghost man", or better "ghostly (pale) person / people", and arose from the description of the light skin as well as the blond or red hair and the green or blue eyes of many Europeans. The slang term was initially incorrectly translated as “white devil” and emerged in the mid- 19th century , when the European states increasingly gained a foothold in China and later also ruled parts of China as colonial powers . The term is mostly viewed as discriminatory and offensive outside of the Cantonese-speaking area . Due to differences in linguistic usage habits and additional meanings of the character "鬼", gwei / gwai in Cantonese compared to Chinese , the term can easily have a negative connotation without actual intention and quickly lead to misunderstandings, especially for people outside the Cantonese language area different linguistic and cultural background. A neutral alternative is the term Saijan ( Chinese 西人 , Pinyin xīrén , Jyutping sai 1 jan 4 - "People of the West," Westerners ""). This is an older term from the Chinese , who in today Cantonese , but still exists commonly in standard Chinese only outdated, written language, appears.
In standard Chinese , terms like Chang Bizi ( 長 鼻子 / 长 鼻子 , cháng bízi ) and Da Bizi ( 大 鼻子 , dà bízi ) correspond to him .
variants
Gweilo is the most commonly used term, but there are also different variants:
- For western women: Gwaipo ( Cant . 鬼 婆 Pinyin guǐpó Jyutping gwai 2 po 4 “ghost woman ”)
- For western boys: Gwaizai ( Cant . 鬼 仔 Pinyin guǐzǐ Jyutping gwai 2 zai 2 , "ghost boy ")
- For western girls: Gwaimui ( Cant . 鬼 妹 Pinyin guǐmèi Jyutping gwai 2 mui 1 , "ghost girl")
Further use
Due to the frequent use of the term gwei , it has meanwhile assumed the meaning for foreigners . The following terms are often used:
- For white foreigners: baak gwai ( Cant. 白 鬼 Pinyin báiguǐ Jyutping baak 6 gwai 2 , "white spirit")
- For dark-colored foreigners: hak gwai ( Cant . 黑鬼 Pinyin hēiguǐ Jyutping hak 1 gwai 2 , "black spirit")
These terms clearly have a racist undertone.