洋鬼子 (yáng guǐ zi) — (derogatory) foreign devil; a historical slur f… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Historical derogatory term for Westerners, very offensive. It is a dated slur from the 19th–20th century; learners should recognize it in older texts but never use it. Note the 鬼子 (guǐzi) suffix, shared by earlier terms like 日本鬼子.

noun

(derogatory) foreign devila historical slur for Westerners

Examples

，洋鬼子。
Guò qù, yì xiē zhōng guó rén bǎ wài guó rén jiào zuò yáng guǐ zi.
In the past, some Chinese people called foreigners "foreign devils."
洋鬼子。
Tā xiǎo shí hou tīng shuō guò yáng guǐ zi zhè ge cí.
He heard the term "foreign devil" as a child.
洋鬼子，。
yáng guǐ zi Shì biǎn yì cí, bú yào yòng.
"Foreign devil" is a derogatory term; don't use it.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

洋yángforeign

鬼子devil

鬼guǐghost子zǐchild

偏正Modifier + head

洋 means foreign and 鬼子 means devil, so the whole word names a foreign devil.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

氵羊洋

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

羊

羊yáng洋yáng

Same sound today

洋 pairs 氵, the water part, with 羊 to give its sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

鬼 originally drew a kneeling figure with an ugly face, perhaps a mask; the small lower right dot is a later added tail.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Appears in

People (General)

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