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anonymous
Q: what do you think about the word gui lou
the real meaning is really bad, but from what i herd its become a normal way to call foreigner
where im from we never use the word foreigner, the fact that the person is from another country doesnt even cross my mind.
in the chinese language you can find other ways to call a foreigner, less offensive ways, remember just because you think its ok to say something doesnt mean its ok for someone else.
not everything that pops up in your mind should be said out loud for example seeing a westerner on the street and saying out loud foreigner, i understand no harm is intended but some things are better kept as thoughts.
i do wish some people would learn to be more discreet when staring or teach their kids not to point or shout out foreigner
i would like to hear some thoughts about this topic because this kind of word would make people think they are unwelcome here
more often I hear "wei guo ren" or "laowai", and none of these I take offensive
"gui lou" seems to be little older (as far as I know)?
from the times when people "from outside" was like ghosts to Chinese people.
am I right or mixed something in my laowai's head? 
stan118:
yeah most people say lao wai or wai guo ren, in guangdong and hong kong they use gui lou its actualy Cantonese,
You know, I don't remember ever hearing anybody say guilou so i'm not going to bother myself about it. I don't think it's a friendly term, but seeing as I never hear it.....
Laowai and waiguoren I find unoffensive. No problem at all. Used to bother me but I realized that having the hump about it, or the staring or parents actively encouraging their kids to stare, was not going to change anything. It's not meant in harm, this is a far more open culture than many western cultures, in some ways. For example if some form of argument erupts in the street, it seems perfectly acceptable to stand and watch it from very close up. In many western country's this could easily earn you a punch in the mouth, but here it's not considered as a problem. Also you can pretty much pick the biggest lump in the street and stare at him until you're blue in the face and he won't take offense. Again, in so many western countries, to stare at someone is not only seen as rude, it is seen as an act of aggression. For this reason also I do not mind the staring, it's just curiosity, and far preferable to the paranoia of making eye contact in so many other countries.
Hugh.G.Rection:
Yeah I agree with the staring thing, and like you I usually just shrug it off.
However, I have come up with an amusing (to me anyway) way of stopping the staring, from women at least. When I'm in one of 'those moods' and a woman stares at me, I just stare right back, but I make it obvious that I'm staring at her breasts. Works 100% and is a lot of fun!
Bona:
hahahaha, I never thought about it....I will try the stare -at- the -breasts method.
GuilinRaf:
Ah, the old stare-at-the-breasts-so-they-stop-staring-at-me ploy!
If I found 'Guilou' offensive I would be constantly offended, my wife uses the term as does most of our family. I know it doesn't actually mean foreigner (nearer to white ghost) but that is how I think about it, but heck I'm sure they could come up with some really offensive terms if they wanted to.
I don't really care what I'm called the offensive bit is what they think and as of yet I cannot read thoughts.
A local pronunciation in Cantonese, generally used to refer to a foreign man. Not offensive.
The original meaning is offensive but most expats in Hong Kong call themselves gwai lo almost like some black people call themselves a certain word in the US.
It doesn't bother me in the least...although I like it better when they call me Jiānádà.
stan118:
im a black guy myself but i dont agree with people calling themselves that word, but can you imagine if people started calling us that and thought it was nomal??? no black person would accept it
thedude:
Fair enough...I tried to use a loose metaphor but I don't have that insight. I think pop culture is to blame.
peeps, it's not the term, its the attitude.
78% of people are crazy. Why? that is the Great Mystery.
I agree. The stupid,rude staring or pointing or calling out foreigner is improper and unacceptable. The retard So. Koreans do the same thing. (While other more respectful So. Koreans don't and are really nice people.)
I never heard that term. Yes, staring is annoying. Stare back. Surprise them. It's a bit of fun.
