Talk:鬼子

Change in definition

Nowhere in Chinese usage or literature can 鬼子 mean "devil," "demon," or "ghost"? 71.66.97.228 04:12, 30 September 2011 (UTC)

It's an abuse. See 鬼子 in Nciku.com - "devil (a term of abuse for foreign invaders)", in fact, synonymous with 洋鬼子 (Yángguízi) (linked to Japanese as of today) or 日本鬼子 (Rìběn guǐzi). --Anatoli 04:59, 7 October 2011 (UTC)

洋鬼子 basically only refers to Westerners; anything 洋… is often linked to the West (洋火, 洋葱, 洋人). 鬼子 appears to have always been used in a figurative sense. The earliest use is to refer to any unpleasant person, but that is obsolete now. 60.240.101.246 11:08, 7 October 2011 (UTC)

Yes, thanks, I forgotto give the translation for the first term. --Anatoli 11:23, 7 October 2011 (UTC)