ching chong
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word ching chong. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word ching chong, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say ching chong in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word ching chong you have here. The definition of the word ching chong will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofching chong, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
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, and 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.