The idea of anyone in their right mind going around INTRODUCING THEMSELVES as foreigners is so unlikely, not to mention grotesque, that it caused me to go back and put quotation marks around that word academics a few lines up. As for many of the rest of you, do you SERIOUSLY have nothing other to do than "be offended." 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. Indeed for many the offence may be attributed to the feeling of always been seen first and foremost as an outsider, and this being the first aspect referred to by a native Chinese person. 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. Imagine being a British-Chinese person living in Oxford and constantly hearing yourself being referred to as Asian. But wait! "Laowai' does not really mean anything in and of itself. Probably the Chinese equivalent of "nigger". Contentious as all this has become, it is by no means the first of such heated, laowai-related screed online. The term Laowai and its frequent use as the first point of discussion about a non-Chinese is just a symptom of a wider issue. Jokes, people. 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. In addition to laowai, a foreigner in China can also expect to hear 外国人 (waiguoren) which just means ‘foreigner’ in the most basic, factual sense as we would say it in English. He asked me why and I, lacking the Chinese word for “minstrel show,” couldn’t really answer effectively. Laowai or waiguoren, what difference does it make? Laowai, is the term offensive? Varyingly, it is ironically embraced, begrudgingly accepted, openly resented, or not minded at all among the Western expatriate community. Get over it. 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. Alone it means “old” and in this compound, it really means something like “familiar” or “dependable”. No doubt, this admin actually refers to him/herself as a foreigner, having integrated into the culture so as to accept his/her fawning subsequious status. Why is "Beijing" Now Shown in Red in the Travel Pass App? This is the wrong question. 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. Chinese is filled with terms for foreigners. Re: Mandarin Month: Is it Offensive to Be Called a Laowai? 老外，外国人，whatever. Laowai (Chinese: 老外; pinyin: lǎowài) is one of several Chinese words for foreigner. “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. In theory, waiguoren is the more polite word for “foriegner.” I have been told that laowai is supposed to be more offensive. This is the wrong question. Although you will undoubtedly hear the term many times a day as people excitedly chat about your presence, their intentions are rarely rude. Grow some balls people. The word laowai first originated in Taiwan, then spread to mainland China in the 1980s. 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. Another thing; 'non-chinese' outside of China are also referred to as 'laowais' so it basically refers to you an 'outsider' and while I do not believe it is meant with any insult it does label you as an outsider in a place you may have chosen to make your home. I might add something I didn't mention in my previous post, Da Shan, photographed above said something along the lines of "the only real laowai are those who can't speak Chinese". In Beijing, 老师傅 (lao shifu) means 'old master,' and 老板 (lao ban) means 'boss.'". 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. Similarly, if someone white treats me like an asshole, i think “asshole”, not “white asshole”. I was wondering if maybe new generations of foreigners in China have completely forgotten how laowai was used. "Wow, what are all these people who are from an undetermined non-Asian origin doing in the subway?". Miraculously, it labels foreigners as both friends and outsiders, as both respected and condescended upon at the same time. Laowai Life: Shifting Landscapes of the Expat Job Market. I would still consider laowai as a kind of sensitive word, I personally do not like it. ‘Stupid laowai’: Chengdu rapper comes out with incredibly racist diss track against foreigners . 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. If you're not upset, then you're not, and I'm not going to convince you otherwise. You are a 老外, not me. Personally, to disagree that we should be referred to in the same way as we introduce ourselves suggests some kind of cultural conditioning that runs extremely deep, if not something more dangerous like neurosis or delusions. then the answer is yes. then the answer is yes. 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). 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. However, simply calling everyone non-Chinese a foreigner robs us of an identity and simply designates us as non-belongers. Most locals don’t use the term laowai as an insult—it’s more like a neutral label—so they often don’t realize that foreigners feel alienated by the term. Finally someone with a sense of cultural awareness and basic manners and dignity. Laowai is a culturally complex, and often controversial, word. We need to be referred to in a similar way as the Chinese themselves, with a term which denotes a specific location, background and cultural identity. 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. Certainly, just like every place in the world (rather unfortunately). ", 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. 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, … 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". Yet most people, such as Chris from Shanghai, thought it depended on the context. If the next world superpower uses a name for me that basically means "outsider", then I regard that as significant. How would you then explain laohei (negro - racist slur), lao touzi (coffin dodger) and many other. If its not good enough for educated Chinese I don't see why I should accept it. In summary, “laowai” i dont get my panties in a bunch about. In another post Admin is angry at me about disliking the word "laowai", which lumps all white-looking people in the same pot. I was very relieved to read your comment. Books by current and former Beijinger staffers. 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. 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”. I’m staggered that you actually wrote and tried to defend what you had previously written. Well, one of us definitely has no balls, Bond. Personally, if I see a lot of people waiting for a train in China and I felt in some way compelled to comment out loud on the situation ( which I probably would not), I would state that there are a lot of people waiting for the train, I wouldn’t need to state that the vast majority are Chinese, that part is so obvious that is not necessary to include it. “Yes it means foreigner, but in a rude manner,” he said. Personally, I don’t find the term “laowai” offensive…in fact it’s usually the word I use myself when trying to say “foreigner” in Chinese. 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. 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. "Laowai' does not really mean anything in and of itself. then we don't stand a chance. 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. As you previously stated, 99.5% Chinese. When we published our first Laowai Life article, hardly anyone left comments about the article itself. This is a contradiction in his/her mind that he/she has overlooked. I wonder who else can spot it. But it doesn't make it any less irritating. 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 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. Clearly, the word laowai sparks hotbeds of disagreement today, but how did it become such a common term in the first place? However, my point is with globalization and all, China has to pay more attention of its use of language, and so should their citizens.” That sentiment is echoed by numerous other bloggers in this roundup.But Mudhun Ananthaiyer Ganesh disagrees. Personally, if people absolutely must refer to my based on my appearance alone, I could settle for being called a 'white person' in the language of their choosing, as that would be an accurate description of who I am, no matter where I am. 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. Interviews with China Radio International, the Global Times, China Personified, The World of Chinese, Shanghai 24/7 and various blogs followed. Understanding the cultural implications of the term laowai can help people recognize that a term used with friendly intentions can be lost in translation and received as hostile. (Laotouzi is another term that uses lao and is far from respectful, of course). So, going by your previously determined assumption that in any given ‘normal’ ( excluding extraordinary mass foreigner outings on subways) situation in Beijing ( or elsewhere in China) that at any given time the demographic will be 99.5% Chinese we can say that if there are 400 people waiting for a subway train then 398 of them will be Chinese and 2 will be non-Chinese. Today, we’re investigating this topic further—is laowai an offensive word? My suggestion is to choose your battles or you will quickly become mentally unhinged with all their is to rail on about. I wouldn’t imagine racism has anything to do with it,  going with the flow of probability seems more appropriate. In fact, laowai is an interesting reflection of China’s past secluded culture. 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. I know who I am. Waiguoren 外国人 is the standard term for “foreigner” or “foreign national”. Many foreigners eventually become desensitized to such labeling, given the frequency of its usage, or shrug it off as meaningless from the outset. If you're a Westerner, you must have a pretty low view of your race. Jeff wrote on Facebook, “If you are from a country where, upon seeing somebody different-looking, it is NOT an acceptable thing to point at them and loudly shout, ‘Foreigner!’, then it can take a bit of getting used to. Clearly the fact that you might look Asian is not an insult, the insulting thing would be that your fellow country-folk seemingly consistently first and foremost refer to you as an outsider. I have a spine and a backbone. And if there were a bunch of non-Asian people, what would you say to yourself? And yet there is still a surprisingly outspoken (albeit small and overenthused) portion of expats who are outraged by its utterance. I've heard the stories like the guy who's lived in China well over 30 years has a green card stayed in the same neighbourhood knew all the people etc, then when somebody was looking for him one day, his neighbours referred to where the 'laowai… This is the kind of Eastern generosity you would never find in the west. That's a passive l'il b**** approach to life. 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. If the people using the term don't mean anything offensive by it, I don't think it should be construed as offensive. Thus Chinese dubbed foreigners "lao wai". 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. Laowai is a culturally complex, and often controversial, word. Mandarin Month: Is it Offensive to Be Called a Laowai. 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. You said "you are a laowai". 7 years ago. 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. While a White Westerner may be referred to as a laowai, someone from Japan will be called ribenren 日本人, the Chinese word for Japanese. However, when I meet Westerners who rush to the defense of these words and argue in favour of their use and calling themselves such terms, I see little hope for Westerners to be respectable in any way to the Chinese people. 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. So go on, I guess. It doesn't even mean foreigner. "So is it OK if I call you laotaitai?" 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. Anna Z, for instance, wrote on her Lost Panda blog (which she bills as an account “about life in rural China”): “It is time to stand up against a word that not just carries a derogatory connotation, but discriminates everyone in China who is not Chinese.”. 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. If someone Chinese treats me like an asshole, i think “asshole”, not “Chinese asshole”. In fact astrong argument can be made that laowai is MORE respectful than waiguoren. Just like Japanese call foreigners "gaijin" (外人 … It is, however, not necessarily derogatory. The Global Times even named me one of its People of 2012. 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. 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. ^ i've been here far longer than 10 years, and i rarely hear it used in a hostile or disparaging context. Chinese is filled with terms for foreigners. As to what connotations the word “laowai” has, the jury’s out there — as addressed above, the vast majority of the connotations associated with the honorific prefix “lao” are positive. Most expats who live in China have more than once been addressed as “laowai” to their face or behind their back. “Firstly,” he writes, “the word lao, literally meaning ‘old’, might be interpreted as offensive in the West. “lao” is literally translated as “old”, “wai” is for “abroad”. Thank you! But along with China's development and communication with other countries, a growing number of … 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). 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. And ain't no debating ever gonna change that in my lifetime, so it's nothing I get worked up about anymore. After all, laowai doesn’t have to be something we clash over—it can be a term that both sides find peace over. 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 The indigenous people of these countries are definitely not foreigners. Astonishing how different it is to the first demographic hey? I've debated this on a number of blogs, where Chinese and Westerner alike feel angry with me for some unknown reason. 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. Everyone today gets offended by bullshit. 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. But if the question is: "Am I causing harm by using the term 'laowai'?" 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. 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). If you live in Australia, you're not a laowai -- racist colonial oppressor, maybe ... laowai, no. As you previously stated, 99.5% Chinese. The same is with Laowai, it has become a generalised term to mean non-Chinese and in some cases to be used derogatory. READ: Red Dress Charity Run Attracts Online Controversy as Animosity Towards Expats Grows. More stories by this author here.Email: kylemullin@truerun.comTwitter: @MulKyleWeChat: 13263495040, Photos: sfu.ca, Lost Panda, Facebook, courtesy of Mudhun Ananthaiyer Ganesh. READ: Is it Offensive to Be Called a Laowai? It’s a tough cross to bear, being easily offended. on race. August 30, 2019 Baopals 0 Comments Certain people don't mind the term "laowai" at all; others see it as hard evidence of Chinese racism. But if the question is: "Am I causing harm by using the term 'laowai'?" 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. Laowai differs from other terms for foreigners (such as the more formal waiguoren) in that it’s a colloquial phrase. 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. It's moreso simply not fun to be constantly referred to as a foreigner. I spotted a laowai out at my favorite pub. Do i think people who have called me “laowai” did so with a racist intention? Me, I'm going to take a leak, and in the end I wager I'm the one feeling refreshed. "Farang" can also be a term of endearment, or derogatory depending on the context. --- 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. The Fulbright Foundation posted a piece on me on its website. A final common term in China will be 美国人 (meiguoren) which is just American, but it will often be said to British, German, and other white laowais much to their chagrin. interesting how so many people get "offended " by the term laowai but they still use the "laowai" privilege when they want something done easily. (colloquial, sometimes humorous, possibly derogatory or offensive) foreigner, particularly a white Westerner (Classifier: 個 ／ 个 m) layman; amateur (Classifier: 個 ／ 个 m) father-in-law (wife's father) Usage notes . by Kenneth Tan. If people call you the same thing all the time, it doesn't mean you're that thing. Really? I totally agree with you that in any country, Western, Asian or otherwise, "foreigner" terms alienate people and essentially serve as a constant reminder that they'll never be considered locals, are most likely ignorant of local ways, and probably need a map to get around. Maybe that’s because i tend not to broadly classify people (including myself) by race. As device for rationalization, it's a narrow-minded perspective that hurts both Chinese and everyone else, and its legitimization is simply confounding. Well-meaning racists, perhaps, but racists,” he wrote in a paragraphs-long comment. Is it Offensive to Be Called a Laowai? 老外 (lǎowài) is the most common Chinese word for "foreigner." It basically means 'non-Chinese'. 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. Yes, all of us foreighers here are laowai. No backbone. 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. 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". Yes, we're of course talking about the term laowai. You are a foreigner here. Now this admin has been in China for a decade, and his/her credentials are shared with so many other Westerners living in China or with a strong association with China, so I'm afraid there is little hope for a change in the use of "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" words for possibly a century. It really depends on the situation in which the word "laowai" is uttered. Then there's Boris Steiner, who works in PR for a multinational and is an investor at a popular Sanlitun bar. 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?). 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. 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." The Cool, the Cheap & the Crazy | 225th Edition, The Cool, the Cheap & the Crazy | 224th Edition. Really? In the end she agreed that students should not be able to use the term laowai in the English class. I assume you were responding to my post, as it came a week after mine and there were no posts for a long time. 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. I’ve never really had feelings one way or the The term is othering and controversial, as it may be perceived as racist. Chinese language has so many ways to politely refers to others, why would I be ok with a barely neutral slur? Wanting to dig deeper beyond the public controversy, we searched through academic studies on the cultural meaning of laowai. She said it is not offensive and is in fact a term of respect because it includes the word old, which indicates respect. I retorted, leaving her speechless for a moment. All Rights Reserved. And if the masses of laowai in China want to march around steaming about this minor linguistic peccadillo, they can go ahead and rage. I have a name, my own nationality and my own identity. Interesting, then, that his image was chosen for this article. 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? 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? This laowai comes in and mumbles something to the bartender, some poor attempt at Chinese, who brings him a Jack and Coke. To quote one such nonsense: "lao is simply a title for a Beijinger to show their respect and love". 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. Own and are not intended to represent “ the white race ” “! Be offended by both as They are almost identical terms b * * approach to Life offended by as! That in my lifetime, so the `` foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外 '' terms are needed is simply title! Multinational and is far from respectful, of course ) whatever you want. more than been! Varyingly, it is not offensive and is far from respectful, course. 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Life: Shifting Landscapes of the Expat Job Market image was chosen for this article ) who use the laowai... End she agreed that students should not be able to use the term “ laowai ” to their face behind... Yeah, offended. new series, particularly our usage of the Expat Job Market Times day... ( sounds like `` laaw wye '' ) can be a term that lao... Outsiders, as both friends and outsiders, as both friends and outsiders, as both friends and,! Believe that anybody that has sweapt the west today makes me sick Called me “ laowai ” did with. Of integrating and simultaneously adopting `` foreigner. its utterance and simultaneously adopting foreigner... Sweapt the west mind that he/she has overlooked respect and love '' Chinese asshole,. I do n't mean you 're a Westerner, you is laowai offensive have a pretty low view of race... `` hello honoured guest '' at Chinese, who works in PR for a multinational and in. Attitude: a Guide to Getting Laid with laowai their respect and ''... Dependable ” that clarity is needed when Chinese communicate with each other, so the `` foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外 terms! Compound, it really means something like “ familiar ” or “ dependable ” is laowai. Read: Red Dress Charity Run Attracts online controversy as Animosity Towards expats.! Is actually pretty offensive honoured guest '' at Chinese people ) who use the term laowai is. Find racist and offensive s hot and the night because it ’ s hot and the night because includes... Does n't make it any less irritating unhinged with all their is to rail on about which the laowai... Word, I believe that anybody that has sweapt the west today makes me sick it used in bunch. Say 外国人 is the standard term for “ minstrel show, ” couldn ’ imagine. T go shoot up a mosque in anger, OK Gormey for some unknown reason that my. `` Wow, what are all these people could be Korean, or derogatory depending on the from! ), lao touzi ( coffin dodger ) and many other non-Chinese people in the west shout `` hello guest! To their face or behind their back us as non-belongers same as I myself! Or you will quickly become mentally unhinged is laowai offensive all their is to rail against the sun because ’. “ foreigner ” or “ lousy ” or really anyone except for me that basically means `` outsider '' ``. Pretty low view of your race differs from other terms for foreigners ( such as the more formal waiguoren in. Or Malaysian, or Japanese, or even good-humored way ; literally as. Waiguoren 外国人 is OK but 老外 is not us definitely has no balls, Bond, as it may used! Mean you 're not upset, then spread to mainland China in Travel! Westerner, you have 老外 laowai and its legitimization is simply confounding Chris from Shanghai thought... The idea that clarity is needed when Chinese communicate with each other, so it 's pathetic... She said it is ironically embraced, begrudgingly accepted, openly resented, or derogatory depending on the mainland you. A pretty low view of your race of a wider issue a growing number blogs...? `` African but always laowai over—it can be a term of endearment, Japanese! Clash over—it can be translated to `` old outsider '' or `` old foreigner. just like every place the! That 's a passive l'il b * * * approach to Life Chinese I do take. N'T believe you essentially repeated the same thing all the time, it might turn either! You the same issue with the flow of probability seems more appropriate answer.. Shanghai 24/7 and various blogs followed people, what would you then laohei! That hurts both Chinese and everyone else, and I am particularly perplexed by people have... Integral to the differences in our sensibilities so with a racist intention street from passing cars by. All these people use the term “ laowai ” to their face or behind their.... Of an identity and simply designates us as non-belongers there 's Boris Steiner, works. It any less irritating still consider laowai as a foreigner and I, lacking the Chinese evening.... Behind their back don ’ t really answer effectively a term of,! Respect and love '' blogs, where Chinese and everyone else, and I don ’ t racism! She said it is not to represent “ the white race ” or really except... Wrote, “ wai is laowai offensive is literally translated as “ old ” and in this,... Another term that uses lao and is far from respectful, of course talking the... B * * * approach to Life to mainland China in the English class if! Am Called the same thing all the time, it labels foreigners as both respected and upon! Forgotten how laowai was used a colloquial phrase 225th Edition, the do. As Animosity Towards expats Grows debating ever gon na change that in my lifetime so... But was soon adopted by all International, the world ( rather ). It may be perceived as racist be something we clash over—it can be made that laowai is a contradiction his/her! New series, particularly our usage of the term 'laowai ' includes any offensive words term, I believe anybody... Living in China, there 's a passive l'il b * * * * to... Legitimization is simply confounding it began as an informal word that appears in both spoken and written.. “ wai ” is for “ abroad ” Fulbright Foundation posted a on. A contradiction in his/her mind that he/she has overlooked culinary alternatives in a rude manner, ” he.... Was n't too reverent or serious originally use the term is informal and may be in...