Jook-sing
Encyclopedia
Jook-sing is a Cantonese term used to describe an Overseas Chinese
person who has grown up in a Western environment, such that he or she cannot speak, read or write a Chinese dialect.
-measuring container made of bamboo
(compare the term senk1 daw2 (升斗), daw2 being a kind of rice measurer). Bamboo is hollow and compartmentalized, thus water poured in one end does not flow out of the other end. The metaphor
is that "jook-sing"s are not part of either culture: water within the jook-sing does not flow and connect to either end. It may or may not be derogatory. Use of the term predates World War II.
Alternatively, Jook-sing is another term for a bamboo stick in Cantonese. While the original Cantonese term jook-gon (竹竿, bamboo stick) sounds like 竹乾 (dry bamboo) or 竹降 (fallen bamboo) (which also means "unfortunate" to Cantonese people) Cantonese speakers use Jook-sing (rising bamboo) instead. The implication is that a person is Chinese outside, hollow inside.
and is used to describe fully Western
ized American-born or Canadian-born Chinese. The term originates from Cantonese slang in the United States. Jook-sing are categorised as having Western-centric identities, values and culture. These traits may be viewed as positive or negative.
This term is also popularly used to describe similar Chinese individuals in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and New Zealand.
Overseas Chinese
Overseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
person who has grown up in a Western environment, such that he or she cannot speak, read or write a Chinese dialect.
Etymology
"Jook-sing" means a grainCaryopsis
In botany, a caryopsis is a type of simple dry fruit — one that is monocarpelate and indehiscent and resembles an achene, except that in a caryopsis the pericarp is fused with the thin seed coat....
-measuring container made of bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
(compare the term senk1 daw2 (升斗), daw2 being a kind of rice measurer). Bamboo is hollow and compartmentalized, thus water poured in one end does not flow out of the other end. The metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
is that "jook-sing"s are not part of either culture: water within the jook-sing does not flow and connect to either end. It may or may not be derogatory. Use of the term predates World War II.
Alternatively, Jook-sing is another term for a bamboo stick in Cantonese. While the original Cantonese term jook-gon (竹竿, bamboo stick) sounds like 竹乾 (dry bamboo) or 竹降 (fallen bamboo) (which also means "unfortunate" to Cantonese people) Cantonese speakers use Jook-sing (rising bamboo) instead. The implication is that a person is Chinese outside, hollow inside.
North American usage
In the United States and Canada, the term is pejorativePejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
and is used to describe fully Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
ized American-born or Canadian-born Chinese. The term originates from Cantonese slang in the United States. Jook-sing are categorised as having Western-centric identities, values and culture. These traits may be viewed as positive or negative.
This term is also popularly used to describe similar Chinese individuals in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and New Zealand.
Related colloquialisms
- Banana (referencing the yellow skin and white innings of the fruit when fully matured) and TwinkieTwinkieThe Twinkie is an American snack cake made and distributed by Hostess Brands. They are marketed as a "Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling".-History:...
(based on the snack produced by American company Hostess): often pejorative. - FOB (Fresh Off the Boat): antonymAntonymIn lexical semantics, opposites are words that lie in an inherently incompatible binary relationship as in the opposite pairs male : female, long : short, up : down, and precede : follow. The notion of incompatibility here refers to the fact that one word in an opposite pair entails that it is not...
of Jook-sing
See also
- Overseas ChineseOverseas ChineseOverseas Chinese are people of Chinese birth or descent who live outside the Greater China Area . People of partial Chinese ancestry living outside the Greater China Area may also consider themselves Overseas Chinese....
: British ChineseBritish ChineseBritish Chinese , including British-born Chinese are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in, or have migrated to, the United Kingdom. They are part of the Chinese diaspora, or overseas Chinese...
, Chinese AmericanChinese AmericanChinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
, Chinese CanadianChinese CanadianChinese Canadians are Canadians of Chinese descent. They constitute the second-largest visible minority group in Canada, after South Asian Canadians...
, Chinese Australians, Chinese New ZealanderChinese New ZealanderA Chinese New Zealander is a New Zealander of Chinese heritage. They are part of the ethnic Chinese diaspora . Chinese New Zealanders are the fifth largest ethnic group in New Zealand....
- Ethnic slur
External links
- Pilgrimage to China by Beth Boswell Jacks
- Strained Relations by Julie D. Soo