Jook-sing


Jook-sing or zuk-sing is a Cantonese term for an overseas Chinese person who was born in the West, or a Chinese person who more readily or strongly identifies with Western culture than traditional Chinese culture.

Etymology

The term jook-sing evolved from zuk-gong which means a "bamboo pole" or "rod". Since gong is a Cantonese homophone of the inauspicious word 降 which means "descend" or "downward", it is replaced with sing, which means "ascend" or "upward".
The stem of the bamboo plant is hollow and compartmentalized; thus water poured in one end does not flow out of the other end. The metaphor is that jook-sings are not part of either culture; water within the jook-sing does not flow and connect to either end. In Cantonese, as 通 can means both "flow-through" and "understanding", while 頭 can means both "head"/"end" and side, the follow-up context phrase is "兩頭都不通" - lit "cannot get through both end" and "do not have understanding on both sides".
The term may or may not be derogatory. Use of the term predates World War II.

Modern term

North American usage

In the United States and Canada, the term refers to fully Westernized American-born or Canadian-born Chinese. The term originates from Cantonese slang in the United States. Jook-sing persons are categorized as having Western-centric identities, values and culture. The term also refers to similar Chinese individuals in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and New Zealand.

Related colloquialisms

  • Banana and Twinkie ; may be used as a pejorative term or as a non-pejorative term.
  • FOB : antonym of jook-sing. Typically meant to indicate a Chinese-born person who propagates excessively Chinese stereotypes while living in the West.