Gweilo
Encyclopedia : G : GW : GWE : Gweilo
| The [Neutral point of view>neutrality] of this article is [NPOV disputedisputed]. Please see the discussion on the [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"[#endnote_feign] 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. It is used so commonly by Cantonese speakers to refer to white people and westerners in general. Many native Cantonese speakers consider the term not derogatory. However, it must be noted that some westerners familiar with its meaning consider the term offensive. It came into prevalent usage when China was carved up and occupied by foreign powers (e.g. Opium Wars) and suffered great humiliation. Gweilo is the most generic term, but variations include:
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. Although the term has lost much of its original pejorative connotation, prior to the 1980s, the term was commonly prefaced by sei (死, jyutping: sei2, meaning: death, damnation) as in sei gweilo meaning "damned ghost man" and was a real term of abuse. Wishing death on someone is a powerful form of abuse in Cantonese. Related terms
In Mandarin, guizi (鬼子, : guǐzi) is a similar term to gweilo. Guizi, however, can be used to refer to either the Japanese (日本鬼子 rìběn guǐzi, "Japan ghost") or Caucasians (洋鬼子 yáng guǐzi, "ocean ghost"). Laowai (老外 lǎowài "old out" or "old outsider". Lǎo is a word for addressing friends.), usually used for Caucasians, is a less pejorative term in Mandarin than guizi. See alsoReferences and external links
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