中国佬的机会

中国佬的机会（英语：Chinaman's chance）是一个美国谚语，形容一个人几乎没有成功的机会，与类似的不太可能的习语同义，例如“地狱中的雪球”或“当猪飞翔时”。虽然该词的出处不明，但可能指的是华裔移民所遭受的不幸历史。此语因使用“ Chinaman ”一词而引起争议。

意义

在《哥伦比亚标准美式英语指南》中，该谚语被定义为“根本没有机会” 。^[1]:94 有时还会衍伸成“不是中国人的机会”。^[2][3]

辞源

华人移民

精致的瓷器

Tad Dorgan在他1914年的漫画里用了这句短语

小写的术语“chinaman”也有非贬义的解释，即中国瓷器经销商；他们出售的瓷器是出了名的精致易碎。^[4] 据此，一些学者提出了一个假设：“chinaman's chance”是指瓷器在从中国的产地到欧洲的瓷器店的漫长旅程中避免破损的可能性很小。^[4][5]

参考来源

1. Wilson, Kenneth G. The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. New York: Columbia University Press. 1993 [23 June 2022]. ISBN 0-231-06989-8. （原始内容存档于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.'
2. 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]. （原始内容存档于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;
3. Uyematsu, Amy. The Emergence of Yellow Power in America. Gidra 1 (17). October 1969 [16 June 2022]. （原始内容存档于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. 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.
5. Morris, William. Words, Wit & Wisdom. San Bernardino Sun. July 16, 1957 [16 June 2022]. （原始内容存档于2024-05-19）.

外部链接

• The Chinese Question: political cartoon （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）, 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]. （原始内容存档于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]. （原始内容存档于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]. （原始内容存档于2024-05-19）.