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List of English words of Chinese origin

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Words of Chinese origin have entered European languages, including English. Most of these were direct loanwords from various varieties of Chinese. However, Chinese words have also entered indirectly via other languages, particularly Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese, that have all used Chinese characters at some point and contain a large number of Chinese loanwords.

Sources

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English words of Chinese origin usually have different characteristics, depending on precisely how the words encountered the West. Despite the increasingly widespread use of Standard Chinese—based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin—among Chinese people, English words based on Mandarin are comparatively few.

Chinese vocabulary has spread to the West by means such as:

  • via missionaries who were living in China. These have heavy Latin influence due to Portuguese and Spanish missionaries.
  • via sinologists who lived in China. These have heavy French influence due to the long history of French sinology.
  • via the maritime trade route, e.g. tea, Amoy, cumshaw etc. Heavily influenced by the Min Nan Amoy dialect in southern seaports.
  • via the early immigrants to the American West during gold rush era, e.g. chop suey. Heavily influenced by the Toisan dialect.
  • via the multi-national colonization of Shanghai. Influenced by many European countries, as well as Japan.
  • via the British colonization of Hong Kong, e.g. cheongsam. Heavily influenced by Cantonese.
  • via modern international communication, especially after the 1970s when the People's Republic of China reduced up travel restrictions, allowing emigration to various countries, e.g. wushu, feng shui. Heavily influenced by Mandarin.
  • via Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese, often Sino-Xenic words, These languages historically borrowed large swaths of Chinese vocabulary, and wrote Chinese and their native language in Chinese characters. The pronunciation of such loanwords is not based directly on Chinese, but on the local pronunciation of Chinese loanwords in these languages, known as Sino-Japanese, Sino-Korean, and Sino-Vietnamese. In addition, the individual characters were extensively used as building blocks for local neologisms with no semantic counterpart in the original Chinese, resulting in words whose relationship to the Chinese language is similar to the relationship between new Latinate words—particularly those that form a large part of the international scientific vocabulary—and Latin. Such words are excluded from the list, as they sound pretty similar to their English renderings.

Though all these following terms originated from China, the spelling of the English words depends on the direct point of contact and borrowing, as well as which transliteration scheme is typically used.

Table

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English Direct origin Word Transliteration Details
Bok choy Cantonese 白菜 baak6 coi3 A Chinese cabbage: lit. 'white vegetable'
Brainwash Semantic borrowing 洗腦 xǐnǎo A calque of Chinese 洗腦, consisting of the characters 洗; 'wash' and 腦; 'brain'. A term first used by the People's Volunteer Army during the Korean War, then picked up by the American media. It may refer to a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes and to accept contrasting regimented ideas; or persuasion by propaganda or salesmanship. The term "brainwashing" came into the mainstream English language after Western media sources first utilized the term to describe the attitudes of POWs returning from the Korean War.[1]
Cha Cantonese 茶 cha4 tea, see 'tea' below
Char siu Cantonese 叉燒 cha1 siu1 lit. fork roasted
Cheongsam Cantonese 長衫（旗袍） cheung4 saam1 lit. 'long clothes', popularly used during the 19th and early 20th centuries
Chin chin, chin-chin Mandarin 請 qǐng lit. 'please', 'invite', an exclamation used to express good wishes before drinking—cf. Mandarin 乾杯; gānbēi; 'empty the glass', Sino-Japanese kanpai. While occasionally used in American English, chin-chin is an informal and outdated British English usage, for instance, the TV sitcom As Time Goes By.[2]
China Mandarin 秦 or 晉 qín Via Latin Sina, Persian چین Cin, and Sanskrit चीन Chinas; ultimately either from the name of the 秦; 'Qin' or 晉; 'Jin' state
Chop chop Cantonese 速速 chuk1 chuk1 lit. 'hurry', 'urgent'[3]
Chopsticks Pidgin 筷子 Kuai zi from Chinese Pidgin English chop chop.
Chop suey Cantonese 雜碎 jaap6 seui3 'mixed pieces'
Chow Cantonese 炒 seiiau2 From meaning 'cook', perhaps based on Cantonese. lit. 'to stir fry'
Chow chow Cantonese any of a breed of heavy-coated blocky dogs of Chinese origin
Chow mein Cantonese (Taishanese) 炒麵 chau2 mein6 lit. 'stir fried noodle', from initial Chinese immigrants from Taishan came to the United States
Confucius Jesuit Latinization 孔夫子 kǒngfūzǐ Latinization of 'Master Kong'
Cumshaw Hokkien (Amoy) 感謝 kám siā feeling gratitude
Dim sum, Dim sim Cantonese 點心 dim2 sam1 lit. '(slightly) touches the heart, skimming the heart, igniting the heart', generally an idiom meaning 'desserts, pastry (accomponied to green tea), light refreshments'
Fan-tan Cantonese 番攤 faan1 taan1 'take turns scattering'
Feng shui Mandarin 風水 fēngshuǐ from 風; 'wind' and 水; 'water', denotes some form of aesthetic balance, generally in rooms or objects
Foo dog Mandarin 佛 fó Refers to the statues of lions that serve as guardians of Buddhist temples: combination of 佛; 'Buddha' and 'dog', due to the statues resembling dogs
Ginkgo Sino-Japanese 銀杏 ginkyō From Japanese ginkyō or ginnan
Ginseng Hokkien 人參 jîn sim From the name of the plant: some say the word came via the Japanese pronunciation, though 人参 now means 'carrot' in Japanese, while the modern word for 'ginseng' is 朝鮮人參, 'Korean carrot'.
Go Sino-Japanese 圍棋 igo Japanese name for the Chinese board game, cf. Mandarin wéiqí.
Guanxi Mandarin 關係 guānxi lit. 'relationship', refers to such in Chinese culture—occasionally a reference to nepotism or cronyism in Chinese business and bureaucracy
Gung-ho Mandarin 工合 gōnghé Short for 工業合作社; 'Chinese Industrial Cooperatives'
Gweilo Cantonese 鬼佬 gwai2 lou2 Literally 'ghost guy', used as a common slur for Westerners. Absent modifiers, it refers to white people and has a history of deprecatory and pejorative use, though it has been argued that it has since acquired a more neutral connotation.
Gyoza Sino-Japanese 餃子 gyōza From Chinese jiǎozi; 'stuffed dumpling'. In English, refers to the fried dumpling style, as opposed to the style boiled in water.
Hanfu Mandarin 漢服 hànfú lit. 'Han clothing': traditional Chinese clothes, includes several varieties for both men and women.
Har gow Cantonese 蝦餃 ha1 gaau2 'shrimp dumpling'
Hoisin Cantonese 海鮮 hoi2 sin1 'seafood'
Junzi Mandarin 君子 jūnzǐ lit. 'person of high stature'; translatable as "respectable person" or simply "gentleman"
Kanji Sino-Japanese 漢字 kanji Name for Chinese characters within Japanese, cf. Mandarin hànzì.
Kaolin Mandarin 高嶺 gāolǐng lit. 'high mountain peak', the name of a village or suburb of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi, the site of a mine from which kaolin clay (高嶺土; gāolǐngtǔ) was taken to make the fine porcelain produced in Jingde.[4]
Keemun Cantonese 祁門 kei4 mun4 tea from Qimen
Ketchup Hokkien (Amoy)[5] 茄汁 In the 17th century, the Chinese mixed a concoction of pickled fish and spices, called kôe-chiap or kê-chiap in the Amoy dialect, whose meaning refers to(鮭汁) the brine of pickled fish or shellfish (鮭; 'salmon', 汁; 'juice'). By the early 18th century, the sauce had made it to the Malay peninsula, where it was later discovered by English explorers. That word then gradually evolved into the English word "ketchup", and was taken to the American colonies by English settlers.
Koan Sino-Japanese 公案 kōan cf. Mandarin 公案; gōng'àn; 'public record'
Kowtow Cantonese 叩頭 kau3 tau4 'knock head'
Kumquat, cumquat Cantonese 柑橘 gam1 gwat1 'tangerine'
Kung fu Cantonese 功夫 gung1 fu1 lit. 'efforts', used in English to collectively describe Chinese martial arts
Lo mein Cantonese 撈麵 lou1 min6 'scooped noodle'
Longan Cantonese 龍眼 lung4 ngaan5 lit. 'dragon's eye'
Long time no see Semantic borrowing from Mandarin[3] 好久不見 hǎojiǔbùjiàn —
Loquat Cantonese 蘆橘 lou4 gwat1 Archaic name for the fruit
Lychee Cantonese 荔枝 lai6 ji1 twigs of cat-tail like grass
Mao-tai, moutai Mandarin 茅台酒 máotáijiǔ liquor from Maotai, Guizhou
Mahjong Cantonese 麻將 ma4 jeung3 sparrow checkmate, short for 'hemp sparrow warfare, hemp sparrow being the term for house sparrow, and sparrow warfare (麻雀戰, 麻雀战) a form of guerilla warfare tactics.
Monsoon Cantonese 滿水 mun5 seoi2 'full of water'
Mu shu Mandarin 木須 mùxū 'wood shredded pork'
Nankeen Mandarin 南京 Nánjīng The name for city, sometimes used in English to refer to the durable, buff-colored cotton cloth originally produced there
No can do Semantic borrowing 唔可以 (Cantonese), 不可以 (Mandarin) m4 ho2yi5; bù kěyǐ Calque,[3] though also possibly a calque of Mandarin 不能做; bùnéng zùo; 'no can do'.
Nunchuk Hokkien (Taiwan, Fujian) 雙節棍, 兩節棍 nng-chat-kun Via Okinawan Japanese, lit. 'pair of joined sticks, double jointed sticks'
Oolong Hokkien (Amoy) 烏龍 oo liong 'dark dragon'
Pai gow Cantonese 排九 paai4 gau2 lit. 'row of nine', 'line of nine'
Paper tiger Semantic borrowing 纸老虎 zhǐlǎohǔ Calque of an idiom referring to something or someone whose claims or appearances of threat or power are paper-thin, actually being ineffectual and unable to withstand challenge. Became well known internationally by its use by Mao Zedong to refer to his political opponents, particularly the American government.
Pekin Cantonese 北京 bak1 ging1 From an older romanization of the Cantonese reading of Beijing
Pidgin Mandarin 皮钦语 píqīnyǔ lit. 'naughty respect language, case-hardened ('thick-skinned') respect language'
Pinyin Mandarin 拼音 pīnyīn 'put together sounds', 'spelled-out sounds'
Pekoe Hokkien (Amoy) 白毫 pe̍khô 'white downy hair'
Pongee Cantonese 本機 lit. 'our own loom', 'homespun', a kind of thin silk
Pu'er, puerh Mandarin 普洱 pǔ'ěr Named after a city
Qi, ch'i Mandarin 氣 qì Energy of an object or person, lit. 'air', 'spirit'.[a]
Qipao Mandarin 旗袍 qípáo —
Ramen Sino-Japanese 拉麵 rāmen cf. Mandarin lāmiàn
Rickshaw Sino-Japanese 人力車 rénlìchē Japanese neologism, jinrikisha (c. 1887) composed of semantic elements 人; 'human', 力; 'power' and 車; 'vehicle'.
Sampan Cantonese 舢舨 saan1 baan2 —
Shanghai Mandarin 上海 Shànghǎi The city name, used in English as a verb meaning 'to put someone aboard a ship by trickery or intoxication', or generally 'to put someone in a bad situation by trickery'. From an old practice of deceitful acquiring sailors for voyages to Shanghai
Shantung Mandarin 山東 Shāndōng The Wade-Giles romanization of the province's name, used in English to refer to a wild silk fabric, usually undyed.
Shaolin Mandarin 少林 shàolín —
Shar pei Cantonese 沙皮 sa1 pei4 'sand skin'
Shih tzu Taiwanese Mandarin 獅子狗 shih tzu3 kou3 lit. 'lion child dog', Chinese lion
Shogun Sino-Japanese 將軍 shōgun lit. 'military general', the full Japanese title was 征夷大将軍, Seii Taishōgun, 'generalissimo who overcomes the barbarians'
Siu mai Cantonese 燒賣 siu1 maai2 pork dumplings, lit. 'to cook and sell'
Sifu Cantonese 師傅 si1 fu2 'master'
Souchong Cantonese 小種茶 siu2 jung2 cha4 'small kind of tea
Soy Sino-Japanese 醬油 shōyu cf. Mandarin pinyin: jiàngyóu
Struggle session Semantic calque from Mandarin 批斗大会 pīdòudàhuì According to Lin Yutang, the expression comes from 批判; pīpàn; 'to criticize and judge' and 鬥爭; dòuzhēng; 'to fight and contest', so the whole expression conveys the message of 'inciting spirited judgment and fighting'. It was often shortened to 批鬥; pīdòu.[citation needed]

The term refers to a phenomenon especially prevalent during the Cultural Revolution, where public sessions were ostensibly held for the benefit the target, intending to eliminate counterrevolutionary, reactionary thinking.[citation needed]

Tai chi Mandarin 太極 tàijí From the Wade-Giles romanization of taijiquan (i.e., "tʻai chi chʻüan"), meaning 'great ultimate boxing'
Tai-pan Cantonese 大班 daai6 baan1 equivalent to "big shot"
Tangram Compound word 唐 táng from Tang + English gram
Tao, Dao Mandarin 道 dào 'way', path'
Tea Hokkien 茶 tê In most European languages, where the word resembles te, tea generally originated in the Amoy port. The other common word for tea worldwide, usually in places where tea generally came via the Silk Road, derives from the Mandarin pronunciation with the same Old Chinese etymology.
Tofu Sino-Japanese 豆腐 tōfu cf. Mandarin dòufu
Tong Cantonese 堂 tong4 —
Tung oil Cantonese 桐油 tung4 yau4 —
Tycoon Sino-Japanese 大君 taikun 'great nobleman'
Typhoon Hokkien (Taiwanese),[6] Cantonese, or Mandarin 颱風 thai-hong lit. 'wind coming from Taiwan', usually hong-thai in contemperary Taiwanese, cf. Cantonese toi4 fung1
Wok Cantonese 鑊 wok6 —
Wonton Cantonese 雲吞 wan4 tan1 homophone in Cantonese with the original 餛飩, cf. Mandarin húntún, lit. 'cloud swallow', describing its shape
Wushu Mandarin 武術 wǔshù —
Wuxia Mandarin 武俠 wǔxiá —
Yamen Mandarin 衙門 yámén 'court'
Yen Cantonese 癮 yan5 Craving, usually in reference to opium addition, lit. 'addiction'
Yen Sino-Japanese 圓 en cf. Mandarin yuán, lit. 'round', 'name of currency unit'
Yin yang Mandarin 陰陽 yīnyáng Yin meaning 'feminine', 'dark' and yang meaning 'masculine', 'bright'
Yuanfen Mandarin, Vietnamese 緣分 yuánfèn lit. 'fateful coincidence'—similar conceptually to karma, but interactive instead of individualized, predestination without divine implications
Zen Sino-Japanese 禪 zen cf. Mandarin chán, originally from Sanskrit ध्यान Dhyāna, Pali झन jhāna.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ This word has the Wade–Giles romanization of ch'i, but the rough breathing mark—replaced by an apostrophe in most texts—has largely disappeared in colloquial English.

References

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  1. ^ Harper, Douglas. "brainwashing". Online Etymology Dictionary. Dictionary.com. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  2. ^ Oxford British & World English dictionary entry for chin-chin.
  3. ^ a b c Partridge, Eric, and Beale, Paul (2002). A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, p. 1386. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-29189-5, ISBN 978-0-415-29189-7.
  4. ^ (accessed on 10 March 2008) Archived 24 April 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Andrew F. Smith (1996). Pure Ketchup: A History of America's National Condiment, with Recipes. Univ of South Carolina Press. p. 5.
  6. ^ "Meteorology Encyclopedia". Central Weather Bureau, Taiwan (R.O.C.).
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