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Glite Dictionary
👤 A Chinese man 🏏 A spin ball
Chinaman

Chinaman

30 9.9
An offensive old word for a man from China
  • noun
  • Slur
: [término ofensivo y anticuado para un hombre de origen chino]
  • In the early 20th century, some Americans used the term Chinaman to refer to men of Chinese descent, but it is now considered offensive.

And then I sat there staring and wondering whether a bite from a Chinaman was poisonous.

Examples

  • All the same, good for China man, the Chinaman explained to them.

  • You think a Chinaman gives a damn about land improvement?

    Heathens and Thieves (2012)

  • Annie, who do you got in there, a Chinaman?

    Mikey and Nicky (1976)

  • There's a Chinaman there and he really has what it takes.

    The Prestige (2006)

  • The old novel contained several stereotypes, including a character referred to as a Chinaman who ran a laundry.

  • He was surprised to read the word Chinaman in the historical text, given how outdated and disrespectful it has become.

Synonyms

Chinese
vsChinaman
331 1.0

A person from China

is an offensive, old-fashioned term that is gender specific

Surface Forms

Chinaman singular
Chinamen plural

Morphology

Chinaman = China + man (transparent) = China + man

The referential meaning 'a man from China' is directly derivable from the components 'China' + 'man', despite the term being archaic and offensive.

Etymology

Chinaman originally joined China and man, so it once simply meant 'a man from China'. In the 1800s and early 1900s the word was often used in a rude and unfair way, and today it is considered highly offensive and should not be used.