Chink

See also: chink

English

Alternative forms

• chink

Etymology

There are several possible origins of the term:

• From the Chinese courtesy ching-ching, a reduplication of Mandarin 請／请 (qǐng, “please”). Compare chin-chin, Italian cincin, Portuguese tchim-tchim, tim-tim, Spanish chinchín, French tchin-tchin.
• From the alteration of China.
• From the alteration of Qing (also spelled Ch'ing).

See also Hokkien 親家／亲家 (chhin-ke, “any relative by marriage (to a Chinese family)”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃɪŋk/
• Rhymes: -ɪŋk

Noun

Chink (plural Chinks)

1. (derogatory, offensive, ethnic slur) A person of perceived Chinese ethnicity or descent.
   • 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, “chapter 51”, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC:

     Then her eyes, always alert for the affairs of her kitchen, fell on some action of the Chinese cook which aroused her violent disapproval. She turned on him with a torrent of abuse. The Chink was not backward to defend himself, and a very lively quarrel ensued.

   • 1920 October 17, George Herriman, Krazy Kat, comic strip:

     [Ignatz Mouse:] A new Chink in town, and acting mighty queer too – I suspect foul play.

   • 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

     He scratched his head. "Well, damn me," said he. "I never thought I would take orders from a Chink, but he says 'hist!' and by crums you've got to hist and no back talk either."

2. (derogatory, by extension, offensive, ethnic slur) A person of perceived East Asian descent.
3. (offensive, ethnic slur) A meal of Chinese food.
   • 1995, “Daddy's on the Drink” (track 12), in Shame-Based Man‎^[2], performed by Bruce McCulloch:

     Let's order some Chink. Where's that menu? I think we've got the stuff we usually order circled. I'm starved!

Synonyms

• (Chinese person): Chinaman, gook, ching chong
• (Chinese meal): chinky (UK)

Derived terms

• Chinkland
• chinkware
• chinky
• iron chink

 

Descendants

• → Hawaiian: Kinikiu

Translations

offensive: Chinese person

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 支那人 (zh) (zhīnàrén) (used by Hong Kongers and Taiwanese when referring to mainland Chinese)

• Esperanto: ĉinaĉo
• Finnish: kinkki (fi), kinuski (fi)
• French: chinetoque (fr) m or f, chinetoc (fr) m or f, chintok (fr) m or f
• Indonesian: Cina (id), orang Cina, anak Cina, singkek (id)
• Japanese: チャンコロ (Chankoro), ちゃんころ (ja) (Chankoro), 不彀本 (Pokopen), 支那人 (ja) (しなじん, Shina-jin), ポコペン (Pokopen)
• Korean: 짱깨 (ko) (jjangkkae), 짱꼴라 (ko) (jjangkkolla), 되놈 (doenom), 뙤놈 (ttoenom)
• Mongolian: хужаа (mn) (xužaa)
• Norwegian: chipper
• Polish: kitajec (pl) m
• Portuguese: xing ling (pt)
• Russian: китаёза m or f (kitajóza)
• Swedish: kinesjävel c
• Tagalog: Tsekwa
• Thai: เจ๊ก (th) (jék)
• Vietnamese: người Tàu (lit.: "boat person/people"), người Chệch

offensive: East Asian person

• Dutch: spleetoog (nl) n
• German: Schlitzauge (de) n
• Persian: چشم تنگ (fa) (čašm tang)
• Polish: Żółtek m
• Russian: узкогла́зый (ru) m (uzkoglázyj)

Adjective

Chink (comparative more Chink, superlative most Chink)

1. (derogatory, offensive, ethnic slur) Chinese, or perceived to be Chinese.
2. (derogatory, offensive, ethnic slur) East Asian.

Anagrams

• Hinck, Kinch