ching chong
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See also: ching-chong and Ching-chong
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Onomatopoeic, originally representing characteristic syllables of Chinese, such as Mandarin's qing and chong, Cantonese's cing1 and cong1, Hokkien's chheng and chhong, etc., as heard by English-speakers, and reinforced by perceptions of other Asian languages, especially with existing surnames of Chinese origin, such as Ching/Cheng and Chong/Chung.
This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.
Pronunciation
Interjection
ching chong
- (offensive, ethnic slur) Mimicking Chinese, Korean, Thai or other East/Southeast Asian speech.
- 2008, Alice Pung, Growing Up Asian in Australia, page 91:
- He came up with three or four kids behind him, chanting 'Ching chong! Ching chong! Don't even know how to talk! Don't even know how to fight!'
- 2009, Kent A. Ono, Vincent N. Pham, Asian Americans and the media, page 104:
- For example, comedian and talk-show host Adam Corolla and NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal have each previously made ching chong comments in reference to Asians and Asian Americans.
- 2016 October 21, Crystal Chen, “I ‘Went Back to China’ — and Felt More American than Ever”, in Foreign Policy, archived from the original on 2016-10-22:
- Growing up in Nebraska, I was “ching-chong’d” in school and asked why my eyes were so small. Later on, popular kids would compel me to do their homework with overtures of friendship, only to ignore me at recess.
- For more quotations using this term, see Citations:ching chong.
Usage notes
The term will often be pronounced or performed with unusual exaggeration, cadence and emphasis to mimic perceptions of East Asian languages; the user may consider the term humorous or a crass joke.
See also
- durka durka (mimicking Middle Eastern speech)
- ooga booga (mimicking African and Australian Aboriginal speech)
- zhing-zhong
Noun
ching chong (plural ching chongs)
- (offensive, ethnic slur) A Chinese or other Asian person.
- 1952, John Steinbeck, East of Eden, New York: Viking Press, →OCLC, page 205:
- “Hey there, Ching Chong, bring the pistol.” In a moment Lee poked the gun butt-first through the door.
- For more quotations using this term, see Citations:ching chong.