Gwei Lo - a historical context...

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  1. #1

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    Gwei Lo - a historical context...

    Hi there,

    I'm a psuedo-expat and this is my first post in this forum! I was born and raised in hk but I've spent the last 8 years here living in the states. I am not exactly ABC, but I'm definitely way more western than most immigrants... anyway..

    I just thought i'd chime in on the topic of the phrase "gwei lo". (There was a thread back in July) First of all, as you might all know, China in chinese actually means "middle country". So they are definitely very ethnocentric. They believed that only Chinese people are REAL people. All others are well, either animals or supernatural beings. When they first encountered the westerners, the Chinese were so shocked by their distinct looks from their own that they couldn't really label them as "people". Along with their lighter paler skin and non black hair, the Chinese initially thought they were really "ghosts", hence the phrase "gwei". There are other different usages, such as "fan gwei" (foriegn ghosts), or "yang gwei zi" (ghostly people from the sea), and of course our infamous "gwei lo". The best (american) english equivalent of "lo" is probably "dude". "Lo" used in such a way is mostly among, iirc, southern chinese/cantonese speaking people. So i'm not even sure if the phrase "gwei lo" originated in HK.

    Sorry i have not provided any referential / factual backing for my theory. But that's what I was told in history classes in my early hk education. One thing IS for sure though and that is the label "gwei lo" is by no means meant to be offensive, at least nowadays. however if you hear something like "say/sai gwei lo" (dead ghost man) then that's supposed to be an insult.

    Anyway, I hope my first post here has been of some help to clarify things for those interested/curious. If anyone has any question about hk culture or people, i'd be happy to answer them. I've been back to HK almost every year or every two years.. i'm actually planning to move back next summer after i'm done with college.

    Hope you all don't mind me the psuedo-expat. I think this forum is great. I've already soaked up a lot of little knowledge here and there (like on broadband services..) Look forward to hanging out here once in a while.


  2. #2

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    I am not too sure about the "by no means meant to be offensive" statement. That is in my opinion, a statement that an apologist would make. I object the absolute part of the statement .. "by no means". It is often meant to be offensive and it is often just an innocent term used for the lack of a better term to describe foreigners / caucasians.

    There are plenty of rude and derogatory terms used in Hong Kong to classify several various ethnicities.


  3. #3

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    Yeah, I realized there's a demarcation to be made here between the meaning of the word and the usage of the word. What I meant to say is pretty much what you described- most people use the word without the intent to insult or offend; however the word itself has been and can probably still be intrepeted as offensive.

    And I probably did jump the gun with my "by no means" statement because one can easily use the phrase in a derogative manner.


  4. #4

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    So if, as you say, the word itself has been and can be interpreted as offensive then you CAN'T be sure that the label is not meant to be offensive. Just because many people use the term without meaning to insult doesn't in my opinion mean that they haven't used an offensive word..no matter what the origin of the word is. Present connotation is more relevant than origins of the word I would say.


  5. #5

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    i think he explained clearly the reason why foreigners are called 'kwai lou'. accept it and laugh about it. if u r so calculating in every little details u won't be a happy person. don't get offended easily. too much of ego , perhaps?


  6. #6

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    Well language has a tendency to evolve, and I think only those who are on the receiving end can honestly say if they are offended are not. I would hope that's not often the case though!


  7. #7

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    on the spot fly ! I don't think the person using the word has the right to determine if it is offensive. If the person you used it on is offended, then you apologize even if you didn't mean to insult right ?

    It's like someone on the other thread mentioned gweilo is not offensive but don't call a chinese person chink..that is very rude. Different rules for different people ?

    reei..it's not about being highly touchy or having an ego..it's about informing people who use it without realizing that it can be offensive to some people. There are many who use the word without meaning to insult and will be shocked to know that people see it as offensive. Personally I don't care what words people here use to refer to me..but I'm sure it's not gweilo since I'm not white or fair haired !

    Last edited by scr; 21-10-2004 at 01:48 PM.

  8. #8

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    .... what is "Yanto"?


  9. #9

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    Correct me if I am wrong..Yanto means Indian ?


  10. #10

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    sai yan tao is what I think you are trying to get at? - according to my )Chinese) wife it literally means "dead persons head" - like calling someone a dickhead I suppose


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