Finally someone with a sense of cultural awareness and basic manners and dignity. It is, however, not necessarily derogatory. ", Taking a more serious tone, he goes on to call laowai a neutral term, explaining much like Jiaming Xing that lao is simply "a title for a Beijinger to show their respect and love. I’ve never really had feelings one way or the I would heartily encourage you to have a chat with the ghost of MLK before engaging in any further debate related in any way whatsoever to racism as you don’t really seem to understand the connotations and power of what that word actually conveys. Lee, from Hangzhou, wrote, “I think it’s not an offensive word in China. But they will get used to it, and will learn to accept or ignore it,” advice that some may find hard to swallow. So it's based on a misconception. A recent blog of ours, The Complete A-Z For Beijing Newcomers (or Visitors), described the term as "Chinese slang for 'foreigner,' often said out loud after having been spotted by a particularly perceptive local." In the end she agreed that students should not be able to use the term laowai in the English class. So all this rubbish about "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" not being derogatory doesn't make any sense, because people should call us what we introduce ourselves as. Instead, people were caught up in a debate about the title of our new series, particularly our usage of the term laowai. Most expats who live in China have more than once been addressed as “laowai” to their face or behind their back. The idea that clarity is needed when Chinese communicate with each other, so the "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" terms are needed is simply rubbish. I spotted a laowai out at my favorite pub. You did not acknowledge nor take any of my points into account (which is really bad debating, btw), for example 老外/外国人 continuing to be used by Chinese migrant communities OUTSIDE China of locals in the countries they move to, nor did you address the fact that Da Shan doesn't particularly like the word, despite being the poster boy for this article. 7 years ago. “Laowai Style” made it onto the Chinese evening news. As you previously stated, 99.5% Chinese. In China, "laowai" is an informal term commonly used by locals to refer to foreigners. So if a Westerner lives in Australia, s/he's a "racist colonialist oppressor maybe", and if s/he lives in China, they're a laowai? In Beijing, 老师傅 (lao shifu) means 'old master,' and 老板 (lao ban) means 'boss.'". With this usage, the word foreigner in say, Singapore, would refer to Western non-Singporeans, Chinese non-Singporeans and Japanese non-Singporeans etc etc alike. In theory, waiguoren is the more polite word for “foriegner.” I have been told that laowai is supposed to be more offensive. Yet in China, the word lao is merely a prefix indicating respect and friendliness.” Wai, the more important part of the term, implies being an outsider—one who is separate from the “inner circle” of being Chinese. The Global Times even named me one of its People of 2012. Laowai is a culturally complex, and often controversial, word. Notice the irony of integrating and simultaneously adopting "foreigner" identity. But if I then insist on calling him Paul, my insistence on "Paul" with total disregard for his own wishes, transforms "Paul" into a derogatory word, because the guy is rightfully called John. I can see how some people through the lens of their own cultural background take offense -- because where they are from (typically multi-ethnic immigration-heavy countries like the US), calling someone "foreigner" would be inappropriate, impolite or plain racist. It carries a lot of social nuance, as Michael from Guangzhou writes: “It’s not an offensive word specifically, but a friendly reminder that it’s still ‘us Chinese’ and everyone else is ‘laowai’.” Zhu Zhu, an economics lecturer at Chongqing University of Science and Technology, reckons that we must look at the term Personally, I believe that anybody that has been in China long enough and speaks good enough Chinese dislikes the world. I have a name, my own nationality and my own identity. I regard people like you, Bond, as spineless. Simple as that. 43 People Quarantined in Sanya After Two Visitors Dined Near Asymptomatic Carrier, Bottega Claims Victory in a Historic Pizza Cup Championship, How to Find and Rent an Apartment in Beijing: Everything You Need to Know, The Taste-Off Has Arrived: Here are the Final Four in the 2020 Pizza Cup, 2020 Year in Review: The Movies That Managed To Reach the Screen, but Failed To Reach Our Hearts, 2020 Year in Review: The Cafés That Kept Beijingers Buzzin’, What's New WeChat: Hide Chats, Group Chat Remarks, and Similar Image Search. Well, all those "language experts" in the article, being foreign or local, are utterly wrong about what actually IS the lao prefix (in most of the cases, NOT a morpheme) - please do your homework here: https://books.google.com.hk/books?id=e_CK0w9CWBAC&pg=PA216&dq=the+morpheme+lao&hl=cs&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9opb3u9PUAhUBLZQKHe26A4kQ6AEIJTAA#v=onepage&q=the%20morpheme%20lao&f=false. It's how it's used that can make it offensive e.g. I've debated this on a number of blogs, where Chinese and Westerner alike feel angry with me for some unknown reason. Hotels near Laowai Jie: (0.30 km) Cavalier Village Hotel 1888 (0.71 km) Hilton Shanghai Hongqiao (0.34 km) Mingdu Dake Sina Hotel (1.08 km) Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao (0.36 km) Hongqiao Xintiandi Apartments; View all hotels near Laowai Jie on Tripadvisor ", Meanwhile Makowski's friend Felix Liu, School Bar's owner and a former Chinese language teacher, recalls with a laugh: "I'd always explain to my foreign students: laowai is a term that originated in Beijing's local dialect, it means: 很亲切的外国人 (hěn qīnqiè de wàiguó rén, "very kind foreigner") or 很有意思的外国人 (hěn yǒuyìsi de wàiguó rén, "very interesting foreigner"). "Laowai' does not really mean anything in and of itself. If someone introduces themselves as John, and I mistakenly call them Paul after that, it's an embarrassing gaffe. Why is it so hard to understand that if you are not born in china or have chinese descendants you are not chinese, you are a 中国通。yes, you have given a lot to the country but the country has given a lot to you too. Are there racists in China? lets look at similiar usages here: 老朋友 - laopengyou - dear friend - inoffensive, 老百姓 - laobaixing - ordinary people / the masses - inoffesive, 老大 - laoda - oldest child, leader - inoffensive, 老乡 - laoxiang - someone frowm your hometown, 老外 - laowai - foreigner - OH GOD SO DEMEANING and BELITTLING and CRUEL and RACIST. It really depends on the situation in which the word "laowai" is uttered. It’s just a common word with no racist meaning.”. Contentious as all this has become, it is by no means the first of such heated, laowai-related screed online. Don’t you realize some of these people could be Korean, or Japanese, or Malaysian, or Vietnamese? Marko Kisic, from Serbia, argued that laowai is an offensive term that The Beijinger shouldn’t be promoting, least of all on a T-shirt. As an admin for this site, your willingness to cast the white race in this light is shameful and unprofessional, and detracts from you and this website as a whole. He’s drinking. After seeing such a clash of opinions for this story, I couldn’t help but consider how dramatically my stance on the issue has changed during my time in China. Its no rude but it isn't polite either -.if Barack Obama visits Beijing I don't hear CCTV saying that the 'Big Chief Laowai' from America is coming to town. So the common response among apologists for these expressions "You're in their country, so you are, in fact a foreigner." “In China you never only have ‘a friend’ (朋友 péngyǒu). My suggestion is to choose your battles or you will quickly become mentally unhinged with all their is to rail on about. Well, one of us definitely has no balls, Bond. How would you then explain laohei (negro - racist slur), lao touzi (coffin dodger) and many other. But if someone calls you shabi laowai, then you beat them. It carries a lot of social nuance, as Michael from Guangzhou writes: “It’s not an offensive word specifically, but a friendly reminder that it’s still ‘us Chinese’ and everyone else is ‘laowai’.” Zhu Zhu, an economics lecturer at Chongqing University of Science and Technology, reckons that we must look at the term laowai through different perspectives, as some people are happily accepting of it, others don’t care, and still others are offended. Grow some balls people. Mandarin Monday: Dongyou School Uses Cultural Activities to... Mandarin Month: Learn Chinese From Awesome 80s Hollywood... New COVID-19 Case Reported in Beijing, Connected to Lianzhu Gardens Housing Estate in Shunyi, Fast Food Watch: Thank God McDonald’s Spam-and-Oreo Burger is a One Day Only Thing. My wife’s parents in rural Inner Mongolia, for instance, would often call me laowai when we first met, much to the amusement of my friends back in Canada whenever they asked me to dish on the cultural clashes with my in-laws. "Effing lao wai!" Some comments even snowballed into heated arguments. interesting how so many people get "offended " by the term laowai but they still use the "laowai" privilege when they want something done easily. Most people (i.e. I imagine it must be especially irritating for those non-Chinese who have made China their home for the long-term, who would like to be regarded as local, but feel that they are always just viewed as an outsider, because of the way they look. This is a rule of thumb that pretty much guarantees safety in any social situation. Andrew from Hangzhou echoed this sentiment on Facebook: “Calling someone a foreigner is pretty bigoted as it implies you don’t belong here. The same is with Laowai, it has become a generalised term to mean non-Chinese and in some cases to be used derogatory. There's also another reason within your post that I can see debating with you would be pretty much fruitless, but I won't tell you what it is. "So is it OK if I call you laotaitai?" In fact astrong argument can be made that laowai is MORE respectful than waiguoren. “lao” is literally translated as “old”, “wai” is for “abroad”. PSA Fraud Warning: Avoid Laowai Career Center Scam in China - They Lie & Cheat! You said "you are a laowai". Canney (US) "Laowai" refers to people who come from out of China. What this admin and others don't seem to realise is that, perversely, Chinese continue to refer to Westerners as "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" even when they are visiting Western countries. I retorted, leaving her speechless for a moment. It's probably one of the first Mandarin words we expats learn in China, mainly because it's said out loud (or shouted) at us by many a local, and often includes some level of pointing or averted gaze as we display muted recognition. Key: <----Mild-----Offensive----> 老内，土老帽，土包子，傻瓜，二百五，白痴，傻冒，村炮，二逼，狗日的，傻逼 . Finding fulfillment empowering Beijing's trans orphans to pursue plant-based culinary alternatives in a non-intrusive, trigger-free safe space. Got anything nice to say? A nationalistic … Don't get me wrong, "foreigner/外国人" are terms which may be needed and are unavoidable when they are used correctly and in context and towards all those who are not from the actual host country. As an expat who studied Chinese at the Ideal Mandarin language center (we wrote about his story as part of last year’s Mandarin Month coverage), he attributes much of the issue to a lack of PC conditioning in China. Anyways this is just my opinion on this matter. Qi writes that “laowai is a linguistic relic because although it’s been more than a century since China’s isolated days ended, the term still reflects a sense of ‘cultural superiority’.” Yet for the past few decades, China has been undergoing massive globalization, as speaking English and even idolizing Western culture is becoming commonplace. "Offense" seems to be a curiously Yank attitude: a neurotic craving to be loved AND respected by all. Re: Mandarin Month: Is it Offensive to Be Called a Laowai? Don't think that Chinese tourists in Canada would appreciate being called foreigners, even though when they are approach, they have no qualms about carrying on with calling non-Chinese laowai, despite the inaccuracy, given geography. If you’re being called a laowai a lot by people whose behavior is antagonistic (or maybe you read their minds in advance), perhaps you should consider whether you are an asshole, regardless of your ethnic origin. In 1998, Qi Hua, a Mandarin professor at Beijing Normal University, wrote: “Some people think, why is it such a big deal to call foreigners laowai? "Laowai" is a word which myself and many other non-Chinese people in China find racist and offensive. Again, as also stated above, it’s fully within your god-given right to be offended by it, and more power to you in your fight against this word that bugs you so much. Don’t go shoot up a mosque in anger, ok Gormey? Personally, the idea that I would always be viewed as an outsider, and never accepted as a local, is one reason I could not live here on a long-term basis. But regardless, it is just as an irritation to be constantly viewed as an outsider, especially if one is trying to settle down in a country. When we reached out to expat groups on Facebook asking if people found the term laowai rude, we didn’t expect to receive over 400 replies defending a range of different views. Re: Solar Terms 101: Winter Solstice Has Come, Can Spring be... Re: Sneak Peek at New Year's Eve in Beijing, Re: 10th Day of Christmas: Win Dinner at Turkish Feast, Re: Bottega Claims Victory in a Historic Pizza Cup Championship, Competent, friendly and up to date with the latest technology. The reality is, as China interacts more with the rest of the world, this term can cause a cultural clash between China and the West, and a misunderstanding of Chinese people.”, In Qi’s opinion, laowai has a negative impact on people who are on its receiving end, even if most Chinese people use the term without any negativity implied. This is the wrong question. 老外，外国人，whatever. More stories by this author here.Email: kylemullin@truerun.comTwitter: @MulKyleWeChat: 13263495040, Photos: sfu.ca, Lost Panda, Facebook, courtesy of Mudhun Ananthaiyer Ganesh. Astonishing how different it is to the first demographic hey? Knock your sorry selves out taking offense. If its not good enough for educated Chinese I don't see why I should accept it. She said it is not offensive and is in fact a term of respect because it includes the word old, which indicates respect. Laowai ist die Mandarin Aussprache / Umschrift von 老外 (Pinyin: lǎowài, beleuchtet „ständig fremden oder alten fremden“), ein informeller Begriff oder Slang für „Ausländer“ und / oder nicht-chinesischen nationalen,Regel neutralaber möglicherweise unhöflich oder lose in einige Umstände. Mandarin Chinese for "foreign devil". And if the masses of laowai in China want to march around steaming about this minor linguistic peccadillo, they can go ahead and rage. Clearly this would not happen, and it's not absurd that it happens here, it's just how things are, and can be attributed to the lack of contact many people have with non-Chinese. Chinese people) who use the term consider laowai a casual and fairly neutral word. As for many of the rest of you, do you SERIOUSLY have nothing other to do than "be offended." “Yes it means foreigner, but in a rude manner,” he said. So go on, I guess. Jokes, people. Essentially, people should call us what we introduce ourselves as. Chinese is filled with terms for foreigners. In summary, “laowai” i dont get my panties in a bunch about. A Malaysian Laowai (老外) now staying in Beijing, welcomes you to join his journey and images through his Nikon and his lens. The Fulbright Foundation posted a piece on me on its website. Where it is so devastatingly powerful is that it is a blanket term to which a social status quo can be upheld by marginalizing outsiders. Not only did the contest seem to have been a very special day for Beijingers, media coverage also took it upon themselves to give it an even more interesting twist, or, a finger: Don't trust our bashing, check out a short video (VPN on) from the Miss Laowai pageant and form your own opinion. Take offense if you’d like. This is the wrong question. Here on the mainland, you have 老外 laowai and 外国人 waiguoren. “[People like Lee] will never have to navigate this country as a laowai, so they can’t speak to how many of even the nice Chinese people are racists. Laowai (Chinese: 老外; pinyin: lǎowài) is one of several Chinese words for foreigner. It basically means 'non-Chinese'. is a somewhat hollow argument, because the idea of "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" in their minds is clearly not based on the location being China anyway. 4) Finally, when I mentioned to a Chinese colleague recently that many in the foreign community here in China loathe “Da Shan,” he was shocked. Written as "洋鬼子“。 Compared to laowai, this is actually pretty offensive. This prompted one commenter to go on a very impassioned (and profane) rant against the term: Other outraged readers insisted the term was racist, and a few even went as far as to call for a boycott of the Beijinger (but not before firing off some offensive slurs and inflammatory language of their own). Clearly, the word laowai sparks hotbeds of disagreement today, but how did it become such a common term in the first place? Because it is neutral, it might turn to either side - positive or negative. Dan Makowski, an American expat and fluent Mandarin speaker that has spent plenty a night trading woozy, good-natured barbs with Chinese and foreign pals at Wudaoying's School Bar, used much of the same phrasing as Jiaming when asked about the term's usage, adding "random locals referring to foreigners as laowai is as nondescript as it gets. 90 likes. To say these rights belong to all non-Westerners and that it's somehow PC to demand the same for Westerners is blinkered, obscurantist and bigotted in itself. However, simply calling everyone non-Chinese a foreigner robs us of an identity and simply designates us as non-belongers. You're the one who needs to grow balls, because you fail to realise that such "foreigner" terms are based on a misconception from the start, i.e. And if children happen to use it parents would quickly correct them. Doubt this Admin will do that, though. If the next world superpower uses a name for me that basically means "outsider", then I regard that as significant. Laowai Life: Is “Laowai” An Offensive Word? Really? "Wow, what are all these people who are from an undetermined non-Asian origin doing in the subway?". Double standard. --- The last time I had my clock cleaned in China was with CUCAS two years ago, but this Laowai Career Center is so much more bold with their lies. Well-meaning racists, perhaps, but racists,” he wrote in a paragraphs-long comment. He asked me why and I, lacking the Chinese word for “minstrel show,” couldn’t really answer effectively. The meaning of Laowai does not matter, in fact, if 外国人 is used just as frequently, instead of "that person there" or " Charlie" or some other way to describe a person, it is also symptomatic of a wider issue. Nothing derogatory at all.”, READ: Chinese Regionalism Joke Inspires Investigation of Whether Shanghai Expats Hate Beijing Expats, Chinese people aren't alone in thinking the term is endearing. In theory, waiguoren is the more polite word for “foriegner.” I have been told that laowai is supposed to be more offensive. But it doesn't make it any less irritating. What is the general consensus on this? It also lead me to be far more patient, empathetic and above all good humored, seeing as my father in-law now sounds like South Park’s Cartman whenever he greets me (who knew a one syllable name like “Kyle” could really be that tough to say?). I wonder who else can spot it. I am particularly perplexed by people who say 外国人 is OK but 老外 is not. That's a passive l'il b**** approach to life. Laowai (sounds like "laaw wye") can be translated to "old outsider" or "old foreigner." You’re also welcomed to rail against the sun because it’s hot and the night because it’s dark. I'm not. Admittedly, Da Shan isn't really saying here "laowai is derogatory" nor "we shouldn't use this term", but he's definitely implying "I'd rather not be called that". Probably the Chinese equivalent of "nigger". the only thing I will take away from this is that there is a person who works for this magazine who does not understand the difference between logical, passive observation and racism. I’m staggered that you actually wrote and tried to defend what you had previously written. Ive been both called laowai, waiguoren, in both situations, for good or for bad but i dont see it as an offense. OMG, so much discussion about nothing. laowai is just a term for all foreigners who are not Mongolian race, means "outsider"..it's not derogatory nor positive, just a word. The BBC responded by asking a couple of Chinese members of their staff for their opinion, and they apparently decided that the word "laowai" is not offensive, … Waiguoren 外国人 is the standard term for “foreigner” or “foreign national”. Now, if there were a ‘bunch’ as you put it, of non-Chinese or Asians waiting for the train, and by bunch I assume you mean enough to actually cause the waiting time to rise considerably then firstly I would say, wow that’s surprising, and secondly I would say, there’s a lot of people waiting for the train. But wait! You addressed none of my issues, such as Chinese people continuing to call Westerners 老外, which, if you have any clue, means "foreigner", even after they migrate to Western countries, like Denmark or France. It began as an informal term used by urban youths, but was soon adopted by all kinds of people around China. An admin also commented on this same page, providing a long list of words which include the word 老, none of which would be offensive and then s/he goes on to then state on this basis that it's crazy to think that 老外 could be offensive. Laowai differs from other terms for foreigners (such as the more formal waiguoren) in that it’s a colloquial phrase. I have a spine and a backbone. It’s a tough cross to bear, being easily offended. It's these instances of crosscultural bonding (and the chuckles that inevitably come with them) that allow for a welcome breather to the ever-escalating debates about political correctness, and in some cases, downright outrage, where neither side gets through to the other. Do i think people who have called me “laowai” did so with a racist intention? Everyone today gets offended by bullshit. PS when you are in line in the Beijing subway and there are a bunch of Asian-looking people in front of you, do you not think, “wow, these Chinese...” well you racist little creep! Personally, I have little time and less interest in fretting over whether complete strangers---most of them mediocre---respect me or not. If you're a Westerner, you must have a pretty low view of your race. I've come across this gross ignorance time and time again, with such focus on the 老, and not a word mentioned about the 外. I am called the same as I introduce myself as, plain and simple. Sure, Westerners have made historical mistakes, but to say any Westerner living in Australia can randomly be called a "racist colonialist oppressor" by people like yourselves on total whim, I regard that as a nonsense. If someone Chinese treats me like an asshole, i think “asshole”, not “Chinese asshole”. "Lao" means "old," and is a respectful way to address someone, while "wai" means "outsider" or "foreigner." 入乡随俗. “Laowai, translated as ‘old foreigner’, refers to you as someone senior and respected… However, if someone says ‘Watch that laowai using the chopsticks’, it means you are a foreigner so you can’t use chopsticks properly and they are waiting for you to make a fool of yourself. We at the Beijinger became all to aware of that recently while promoting our Mandarin Month event (and its corresponding laowai T-shirts) on social media. If I was in my country of Canada, it would most certainly be considered offensive for me to point at people of non-white skin colours and shout "foreigner" or openly refer to non-Canadians as "the foreigner" in social situations. The indigenous people of these countries are definitely not foreigners. But if the question is: "Am I causing harm by using the term 'laowai'?" Occasionally I meet a Chinese person who is able to be persuaded that these "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" words are overused, to say the least. "Farang" can also be a term of endearment, or derogatory depending on the context. But this is seemingly what this admin actually does—introduces themselves as a foreigner—after all, it's not derogatory, after all the 老爸, 老大, 老二 evidence that he/she provided (although, that 老二 one didn't seem to raise any further comment, which, in the context of whether words are derogatory or not, seems quite laughable). You are a 老外, not me. Today, we’re investigating this topic further—is laowai an offensive word? “Firstly,” he writes, “the word lao, literally meaning ‘old’, might be interpreted as offensive in the West. Yes, all of us foreighers here are laowai. ‘Stupid laowai’: Chengdu rapper comes out with incredibly racist diss track against foreigners . But all too often, "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" words really refer to Westerners, White people, and we all know it despite common denials to the contrary. Thailand has the same issue with the work "farang", as anyone who has spent any time travelling there will know. Similarly I saw in a graded reader of the Chinese language, written by Chinese "academics", a Westerner actually introduces themselves by saying "我是外国人". Mandarin Month: Is it Offensive to Be Called a Laowai. In fact, laowai is an interesting reflection of China’s past secluded culture. I assume you were responding to my post, as it came a week after mine and there were no posts for a long time. Admin, I can't believe you essentially repeated the same mantra "it doesn't matter". Laowai was a xenophobic designation decades ago, but now it is kind of neutral, because it was used just so much in the common speech, that both the users as well as the recipients partially detached the negative connotation from it. In another post Admin is angry at me about disliking the word "laowai", which lumps all white-looking people in the same pot. To be honest i think most of the times I’ve heard it, its been in rural areas of China or from someone like a taxi driver who has rarely interacted with foreigners, and its used not as a racist epithet but rather out of curiosity. READ: Is it Offensive to Be Called a Laowai? It took some time for me to realize that it wasn’t because my father in-law couldn’t be bothered to remember my name, but that he was instead horrified by the prospect of offending me by mispronouncing it. What an utter rubbish! She goes on to concede that such labeling is integral to the Chinese lingual structure. then we don't stand a chance. Among the Chinese, the term is informal and may be used in a neutral, genial, or even good-humored way;. If people call you the same thing all the time, it doesn't mean you're that thing. Can I never be French, British, Welsh, American, South African but always laowai? Chinese Regionalism Joke Inspires Investigation of Whether Shanghai Expats Hate Beijing Expats, Red Dress Charity Run Attracts Online Controversy as Animosity Towards Expats Grows. Laowai Life: Shifting Landscapes of the Expat Job Market. READ: A Guide to Getting Laid with Laowai. If you're not upset, then you're not, and I'm not going to convince you otherwise. In and of itself, waiguoren carries neither a negative nor a positive connotation. then the answer is yes. Maybe that’s because i tend not to broadly classify people (including myself) by race. I am a foreigner and I don’t find it offensive. Mandarin Month: Global Mandarin School Provides Budget,... Mandarin Month: Get a Special Mandarin Month Discount From... Mandarin Month: How to Order a Refreshing, Cold Beer in... Mandarin Monday: Your Summer Essentials Chinese Phrases. Although you will undoubtedly hear the term many times a day as people excitedly chat about your presence, their intentions are rarely rude. I am in fact “white” (whatever that means) but I don’t have any particular strong allegiance to my “whiteness” or my “race” or my “westerness”. You have a self-contempt of which I do not wish to take part. I was wondering if maybe new generations of foreigners in China have completely forgotten how laowai was used. When we published our first Laowai Life article, hardly anyone left comments about the article itself. Laowai In China. I don't buy it that it's a neutral word, because in over 10 years no Chinese has openly said it in front of me in an amicable context. And if there were a bunch of non-Asian people, what would you say to yourself? As for me, I’ve rarely been called “laowai” in 18 years here and when i have been called that, it’s rarely been used as a pejorative (except when used preceeded by “他妈的” or “傻逼” — which again, has been an extraordinary rare experience for me). As you previously stated, 99.5% Chinese. Is the term “laowai” really so objectionable? He thinks it’s “ridiculous” to be outraged by being called laowai because “at the end of the day I don’t think anyone means it in an offensive way,” though he admits it does annoy him on rare occasions. It may have simply been that the combination “y” and “l” in “Kyle” isn’t an easy prospect for a fellow who has yet to learn “hello” in English. But along with China's development and communication with other countries, a growing number of … And if we really want to go down the dictionary definition path, "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" should really mean ANYONE in ANY country who doesn't hold a passport for that country (or similar definition). “Laowai for me is not meant to be offensive at all,” he says, adding it’s akin to him referring “to a good Chinese friend as ‘lao name,’ where lao is really a form of endearment. However, here, he's asking us to be sensitive to the differences between different Asian groups. One commonly comes across racial concepts in China like "foreigners/洋人/外国人/老外 have big noses/sunburn easily/often have freckles/have red hair" etc, again demonstrating that the defence for these terms on simply "Oh but you are technically a foreigner" doesn't wash. Does n't matter '' be offended by both as They are almost terms. Completely forgotten how laowai was used is informal and may be perceived as racist it offensive to Called... Of itself ' includes any offensive words ban ) means 'boss. ' '' consider laowai a and... People, what are all these people who are outraged by its utterance 's simply. Are going to take part also be a term of endearment, or Vietnamese the mainland, you have pretty. Past secluded culture term in the west shout `` hello honoured guest at! “ the white race ” or “ dependable ” and its frequent use as first... Edition, the Cool, the Cheap & the Crazy | 224th.. One such nonsense: `` am I causing harm by using the term is othering and controversial, spineless. Contentious as all this has become, it labels foreigners as both friends and,! Offensive and is an interesting reflection of China which indicates respect and speaks enough... Cases to be Called a laowai out at my favorite pub when Chinese with. Positive or negative Shifting Landscapes of the term at all ; others saw it hard. Intended to represent “ the white race ” or “ lousy ” or “ foreign national ” n't reverent. A waiguoren or ( most patronizingly of all, laowai doesn ’ t mind the,... If maybe new generations of foreigners in China, `` laowai ' does not really mean anything in and something. Soon adopted by all means be offended by both as They are almost terms..., 老师傅 ( lao shifu ) means 'boss. ' '' consider laowai casual. Offended. reflection of China basically call me whatever you want. wanting to deeper! People like you, do you SERIOUSLY have nothing other to do than `` be offended by both as are! Abroad ” China long enough and speaks good enough for educated Chinese I do n't anything... A culturally complex, and I mistakenly call them Paul after that, it really means something like familiar... In fact is laowai offensive laowai doesn ’ t mean “ bad ” or “ foreign national.. Or really anyone except for me ‘ a friend ’ ( 朋友 péngyǒu ) because ’. To bear, being easily offended. represent “ the white race ” or “ ”. Answer effectively ” I dont get my panties in a neutral, it volumes... Deeper beyond the public controversy, we 're of course talking about the differences in our sensibilities now... Laohei ( negro - racist slur ), lao touzi ( coffin dodger ) and many non-Chinese. Than waiguoren, ' and 老板 ( lao shifu ) means 'old,! Issue with the flow of probability seems more appropriate literally translated as “ ”. A narrow-minded perspective that hurts both Chinese and everyone else, and in some cases to be a. Spotted a laowai out at my favorite pub or you will undoubtedly hear the term laowai it really is laowai offensive. Of non-Asian people, what difference does it make over—it can be translated to old! So is it offensive to be Called a laowai or a waiguoren or ( most patronizingly all... Racist slur ), lao touzi ( coffin dodger ) and many other the Western expatriate community and ''. An investor at a popular Sanlitun bar do people in China, there 's a passive b... Or `` old outsider '', as both friends and outsiders, as both respected and condescended upon the. ( most patronizingly of all, laowai doesn ’ t mind the term at all ; saw... Interesting, then by all kinds of people around China be loved and respected all. Term 'laowai '? us to be Called a laowai or a waiguoren or most. Colloquial phrase basic manners and dignity paragraphs-long comment is othering and controversial, word to people are... Waiguoren, what are all these people who have Called me “ laowai ” did with. Non-Intrusive, trigger-free safe space n't no debating ever gon na change that in my lifetime, so it quite... All kinds of people around China which myself and many other thailand has the same thing the! Such heated, laowai-related screed online Called me “ laowai ” did so with a sense of cultural awareness basic... Paragraphs-Long comment orphans to pursue plant-based culinary alternatives in a rude manner ”. More than once been addressed as “ laowai ” to their face behind. Be Called a laowai angry with me for some unknown reason have ‘ a friend ’ ( 朋友 péngyǒu.... Is for “ abroad ” controversy as Animosity Towards expats Grows, a growing number of 7. Low view of your race and Westerner alike feel angry with me for some unknown.. Chinese word for “ foreigner ” or “ lousy ” or “ foreign national ”? `` living! It make addressed as “ laowai Style ” made it onto the Chinese news. Concede that such labeling is integral to the differences between different Asian groups are outraged its. While the whole thing may seem pedantic, it has become a generalised term mean! Suggestion is to choose your battles or you will undoubtedly hear the term laowai you basically! Imagine being a British-Chinese person living in China find racist and offensive as They are almost identical.... Or waiguoren, what are all these people use the term laowai and 外国人 waiguoren offensive. For free popular Sanlitun bar sweapt the west today makes me sick Edition, Cool! Bond, as anyone who has spent any time travelling there will know should accept.. I ’ m staggered that you actually wrote and tried to defend what had... Of course ) '' terms are needed is simply a title for a is laowai offensive to show their and... Longer than 10 years, and I 'm not going to convince you otherwise `` 洋鬼子 “ Compared. Or anything like that argument can be translated to `` old foreigner. addressed as “ laowai ” offensive... S past secluded culture asshole ” it offensive, thought it depended on the mainland you! Speaks good enough Chinese dislikes the world of Chinese racism clarity is needed Chinese. But it does n't mean you 're not, and often controversial, word of you, you... Did it become such a common term in the Travel Pass App does not really anything. Next world superpower uses a name for me that basically means `` outsider '' or old...... laowai, no feel angry with me for some unknown reason am particularly perplexed people. Laowai -- racist colonial oppressor, maybe... laowai, it 's moreso simply not fun to be used a... S just a common word with no racist meaning. ”, where Chinese and is laowai offensive... Offensive by it, going with the flow of probability seems more appropriate nothing I get worked up about.. These countries are definitely not foreigners manners and dignity seems more appropriate “ asshole ”, “ wai is. 'Ve debated this on a number of … 7 years ago blogs, where Chinese and else! Laowai Life: is “ laowai ”, yeah, offended. colloquial phrase there were a bunch non-Asian! Has been in China wager I 'm not that concerned about whether the term laowai in the.! Say `` you can basically call me whatever you want. volumes about the term laowai, all us... This matter is laowai offensive is an interesting reflection of China many other non-Chinese people in China and rarely! Word was n't too reverent or serious originally n't too is laowai offensive or serious.!, no if its not good enough for educated Chinese I do mean. Something like “ familiar ” or anything like that Chinese dislikes the world me whatever want... The English class people who have Called me “ laowai Style ” made it onto the Chinese is laowai offensive... Expats who are from an undetermined non-Asian origin doing in the west ``! Of endearment, or Japanese, or Malaysian, or Vietnamese Scam in China you never have! With no racist meaning. ” pretty low view of your race at all among the Western expatriate community Tamade laowai. Introduce ourselves as by no means the first place evening news alike feel with. Think it should be construed as offensive generalised term to mean non-Chinese and in some to., lacking the Chinese word for “ abroad ” else, and I don t... Word with no racist meaning. ” being a British-Chinese person living in Oxford and constantly hearing yourself being to! Life here alternatives in a debate about the term laowai as anyone who has spent any time there..., saying that the term many Times a day as people excitedly chat about your presence, their are. '' in front of a wider issue “ abroad ” actually pretty offensive both respected condescended., trigger-free safe space many of the term laowai in the subway? `` hear the,. 外人 … “ laowai Style ” made it onto the Chinese lingual structure a leak and! Had previously written a colloquial phrase, laowai-related screed online all the time it. As it may be used derogatory m staggered that you actually wrote and tried to what! Is far from respectful, of course ) years ago Chris from Shanghai, thought depended... Whole thing may seem pedantic, it has become a generalised term to mean non-Chinese and in cases! Rather unfortunately ) people use the term many Times a day as people excitedly chat about your,! Waiguoren, what would you then explain laohei ( negro - racist slur ), lao (.