中國佬的機會
中國佬的機會（英語：Chinaman's chance）是一個美國諺語，形容一個人幾乎沒有成功的機會，與類似的不太可能的習語同義，例如「地獄中的雪球」或「當豬飛翔時」。雖然該詞的出處不明，但可能指的是華裔移民所遭受的不幸歷史。此語因使用「 Chinaman 」一詞而引起爭議。
意義
[編輯]在《哥倫比亞標準美式英語指南》中，該諺語被定義為「根本沒有機會」 。[1]:94 有時還會衍伸成「不是中國人的機會」。[2][3]
辭源
[編輯]華人移民
[編輯]精緻的瓷器
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小寫的術語「chinaman」也有非貶義的解釋，即中國瓷器經銷商；他們出售的瓷器是出了名的精緻易碎。[4] 據此，一些學者提出了一個假設：「chinaman's chance」是指瓷器在從中國的產地到歐洲的瓷器店的漫長旅程中避免破損的可能性很小。[4][5]
參考來源
[編輯]- ^ Wilson, Kenneth G. The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. New York: Columbia University Press. 1993 [23 June 2022]. ISBN 0-231-06989-8. （原始內容存檔於2024-05-19）.
An echo of the taboo word Chinaman is in the idiom (now much suppressed as well) a Chinaman's chance, which means 'no chance at all.'
- ^ House Concurrent Resolution 90: Requesting government agencies and tourism entities and related businesses to support efforts to use the official name of the island of Mokoliʻi. Twenty-third Legislature, State of Hawaii, House of Representatives. March 2005 [2024-05-19]. （原始內容存檔於2022-03-05）.
WHEREAS, the phrase "not a Chinaman's chance" was coined during that period and the usage of it reflected the unfortunate reality that, to decision makers in business and government, the lives and safety of working people in general and the lives and safety of Chinese laborers in particular were not of great concern;
- ^ Uyematsu, Amy. The Emergence of Yellow Power in America. Gidra 1 (17). October 1969 [16 June 2022]. （原始內容存檔於2024-05-19）.
Perhaps, surviving Asians learned to live in silence, for even if 'the victims of such attacks tried to go to court to win protection, they could not hope to get a hearing. The phrase "not a Chinaman's chance" had a grim and bitter reality.'
- ^ 4.0 4.1 Tamony, Peter. Western Words: Chinaman's Chance. Western Folklore (Western States Folklore Society). July 1965, 24 (3): 202–205. JSTOR 1498079. doi:10.2307/1498079.
- ^ Morris, William. Words, Wit & Wisdom. San Bernardino Sun. July 16, 1957 [16 June 2022]. （原始內容存檔於2024-05-19）.
外部連結
[編輯]
- The Chinese Question: political cartoon （頁面存檔備份，存於互聯網檔案館）, print (1871).
- Luke, Bettie. Reader's Corner: The top 10 lessons on life and politics that I learned from my brother, Wing Luke. Northwest Asian Weekly. 7 October 2010 [28 April 2018]. （原始內容存檔於2024-05-19）.
Wing was kind of like a Chinese Will Rogers, a political rock star. During his campaign, someone said to Wing, 'You don't have a Chinaman's chance!' Wing shot back, 'On the contrary, I am the only one who has a Chinaman's chance!'
- Liu, Eric. When to Use Ethnic Slurs: A Guide. The Atlantic. July 21, 2014 [2024-05-19]. （原始內容存檔於2024-05-19）.
- Tréguer, Pascal. A hypothesis as to the origin of the phrase 'a Chinaman's chance'. word histories [blog]. October 19, 2018 [2024-05-19]. （原始內容存檔於2024-05-19）.