Gweilo
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Look up 鬼佬, gweilo in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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" (Simplified Chinese: 红须绿眼; Traditional Chinese: 紅鬚綠眼; pinyin: hóng xū lǜ yǎn) of Caucasians. When the term is translated into English, it is sometimes wrongly translated as foreign devil. The term arose in the 19th century and maybe associated with the occupation of China by foreign powers.
The term is sometimes 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 (Chinese: 死; pinyin: sǐ; 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: gweipor (Chinese: 鬼婆; pinyin: guǐpó; jyutping: gwai2 po4, literally: "ghost woman") which is also often spelt "gwai-poh"
* To refer specifically to Caucasian boys: gweijai (Chinese: 鬼仔; pinyin: guǐzǐ; jyutping: gwai2 zai2, literally: "ghost boy")
* To refer specifically to Caucasian girls: gweimui (Chinese: 鬼妹; pinyin: guǐmèi; 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 (Chinese: 白鬼; pinyin: bái guǐ;jyutping: baak6 gwai2, literally: "white ghost")
* To refer to a black foreigner: hakgwei (Chinese: 黑鬼; pinyin: hēi guǐ; jyutping: haak1 gwai2, literally: "black ghost")
These terms, especially hakgwei definitely carry a pejorative tone.
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