鬼佬

Chinese

Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

Etymology

(Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?) Originally Cantonese. From the supposed resemblance of Portuguese and other European skin tones to ghosts.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): guǐlǎo

(Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄌㄠˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): gwai² lou²
Hakka (Meixian, Guangdong): gui³ lau³
Min Dong (BUC): gūi-lō̤

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: guǐlǎo [Phonetic: guílǎo]
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄌㄠˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: guěilǎo
  - Wade–Giles: kuei³-lao³
  - Yale: gwěi-lǎu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: goeilao
  - Palladius: гуйлао (gujlao)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
- (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: guǐlǎor [Phonetic: guílǎor]
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄟˇ ㄌㄠˇㄦ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: guěilǎor
  - Wade–Giles: kuei³-lao³-ʼrh
  - Yale: gwěi-lǎur
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: goeilaol
  - Palladius: гуйлаор (gujlaor)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ laʊ̯ɻʷ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: gwai² lou²
  - Yale: gwái lóu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: gwai² lou²
  - Guangdong Romanization: guei² lou²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʷɐi̯³⁵ lou̯³⁵/
Hakka
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: gui³ lau³
  - Sinological IPA: /kuɪ³¹ lau³¹/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: gūi-lō̤
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kui³³⁻³⁵ l̃o³³/

Noun

鬼佬

(chiefly Cantonese, Min Dong, colloquial, derogatory, sometimes offensive, ethnic slur) gweilo; "foreign devil"; Caucasian; whitey

Usage notes

A derogatory term for white men, mainly in speech. Prior to the 1980s, the term was commonly prefixed in Cantonese by 死 (sei2, “damned”), with the meaning "damned ghost bastard, damned foreign devil".

Synonyms

Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value) Lua error in Module:utilities at line 142: attempt to perform arithmetic on local 'h' (a nil value)

Derived terms

鬼佬大戲／鬼佬大戏
鬼佬月餅／鬼佬月饼
鬼佬涼水／鬼佬凉水
鬼佬涼茶／鬼佬凉茶
鬼佬話／鬼佬话
鬼佬餐 (guǐlǎocān)
鬼佬鹹煎餅／鬼佬咸煎饼
鬼佬齋／鬼佬斋

Descendants

→ English: gweilo, gwailo, kwailo

鬼佬