東亞病夫

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Chinese

East Asia sickly person; invalid
trad. (東亞病夫) 東亞 病夫
simp. (东亚病夫) 东亚 病夫

Etymology

Calque of English sick man of East Asia. This term was first used by Western media to describe the Imperial Qing Dynasty. It was however gradually associated with the then prevalent opium usage in China and came to be understood as an insult to Chinese people. Later, Bruce Lee's movie Fist of Fury (1972) contributed decisively to the infamy of this term, thus fixing its modern sense.

Pronunciation


Noun

東亞病夫

  1. (ethnic slur, derogatory, usually collective) Chinese people.