老外

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Chinese

old; aged; venerable
old; aged; venerable; outdated; experienced; (affectionate prefix)
 
outside; in addition; foreign
outside; in addition; foreign; external
 
trad. (老外)
simp. #(老外)
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Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation


Noun

老外

  1. (colloquial, sometimes humorous) foreigner, particularly a white Westerner (Classifier: m)
  2. (informal) layman; amateur (Classifier: m)
  3. (Cantonese) father-in-law (wife's father)

Usage notes

The term is othering and controversial, as it may be perceived as racist. It is, however, not necessarily derogatory.

Synonyms

Descendants

  • English: laowai

See also

References

  • Yanfeng Mao (2015) “Who is a Laowai? Chinese Interpretations of Laowai as a Referring Expression for Non-Chinese”, in International Journal of Communication, volume 9, pages 2119–2140