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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: How often do you hear the word "lao wai / wai guo ren" ?
How many times per day do you hear the word "laowai / wai guo ren" (foreigner)?
for me I hear those words 250 - 300 times per day
what about you?
about the same ,
unless I go out of the house then twice that
about the same ,
unless I go out of the house then twice that
It just means "foreigner", you are indeed a foreigner, what is wrong by calling you a foreigner ?
(Typical comment I get when I ask/complain about it)
Mateusz:
That's the annoying part, when they won't own up to the racist connotations, no matter how much you tell them it's offensive, highly exclusionary, and defines you by being perpetually "not one of us".
It could be a face thing. They don't want to admit that what they said is offensive, because then they would have to apologize, which is total face loss there. It's better to just try to bullshit you with a transparent lie.
DrMonkey:
As for not seeing anything bad about it : it's simpler : "me, doing something wrong ? *ME* ? It's impossible. not me, I can't be wrong, ever".
250-300 times per day? Methinks you are exaggerating slightly.
iWolf:
If the MiL is staying over for a few days, I will hear gweilo about 200 times a day. I think she doesn't know my name and/or hates me/foreigners. Or all of the above. FiL just asks if I want another beer "Ah, ni you pijiu?" "shide" "Mmmmm" He's cool. MiL calls him terrible things I think becsuse the missus cringes a bit.
Hotwater:
A pity you can't divorce the MIL. FIL sounds cool though :-)
DaphneNJ:
iWolf, I wouldn't tolerate that in my own home. She doesn't have to like foreigners, but she should learn the name of the person whose paying for the food she's eating and the roof she's sleeping under- or at least call you the Cantonese term for son-in-law.
Lord_hanson:
I agree with Daphne, just insult her back. Call her Da Lu Ren. If anyone tried that in my home they would be out in the street in no time.
iWolf:
I'd have to care what she thinks and to respond in kind would reduce me to her level. Don't put pearls before a swine.
A lot in Tianjin. I am currently visiting a small 3rd tier city at the nonent so they are more civilised than the Tianjinese, I have only heard it said twice over the course of a week. In Tianjin I hear it at least 5 times a day.
I was the only white guy in the city of about a million people for quite some time. Now there are four of us. So yes, I hear it a lot. I don't keep count.
gatoloco12:
are you an english teacher? Im saying because your nick have the word "teacher" in it.
What's really annoying is when I hear it outside of China. This summer there have been a large number of tour buses full of Chinese stopping in my town. While walking along the main street,,I've heard them commenting on the appearance of various "laowai ."
Before anyone says I should be grateful for the money they bring in, they aren't here long enough to shop. All they seem to do is take a few selfies in front of the university. I believe they save their money for Woodbury Common outlets, where the buses also stop. The place is some kind of holy Mecca for Chinese shopping addicts.
DrMonkey:
I live in a very touristic city in Europe... The Chinese tourists, when speaking of anyone not in the group, often says "wai guo ren". No, no, totally not self-centered ^^
I would imagine i would hear "gringo" a lot in Peru. Also i would hear a lot of violent ass farts flavored with beans and guacamole
lao wai - few times per month
waiguoren - few times per week, maybe not every day, I don't know
3 hours/day in the Beijing bus/metro
and not always directly, sometimes people just talk about foreigners with no relation to me
the thing is, I try not to listen, besides my face expression probably discourages people to make comments on me
laowai, mostly in elevators (in a hush hush voice)... or on street, quite often actually.
wai guo ren... few times a month.
and then there is one odd person in a month which sneak in with xin jiang ren ... probably because of the stubble and the fact that I am brown, I don't know!! But, I really don't care, though I enjoy the creep that sweep in the eyes of those who say that.
Lord_hanson:
Haha, I also get mistaken for a Xinjiang ren many times. I want to buy one of those white hats they wear so I can scare Han Chinese.
everytime I say it. lao wai seems useful to me to communicate that I'm talking about a non-chinese. wai guo ren I usually get 60% understanding of what the heck I'm saying. Lao wai like 100%. meiguo ren they seem to understand too... like 90%+.
Absolutely never. I'm deaf.
My wife hears it every other second, though.
At least a few times per day. It is almost a fool proof indicator of finding out which Chinese are uncivilized or uneducated.
Every day! Even when I am at home I often hear my neighbors talking about me (No lie). It's generally compliments and good stuff though!
Not so often in my area, more often on the outskirts of the city.
Ignore these fools, if they get really invasive give them a cold hard stare, I have been experimenting it recently and it works like a charm on every type of locals.
It makes them really uncomfortable because they assume that you understand what they say and realize that you are not here to joke around or more like being joked about.
Sure a cold hard stare might pass you as rude, so what? They are being rude too and don't give a fudge about hurting your feelings, why should you care the other way around.