Innocent word not allowed to rest in peace

One often hears it said that the use of the word 'Chinaman' to refer to a native of China is derogatory; it implies contempt. This view is groundless. Throughout the 19th century, and into the 20th, references to the people of China in English-language reports on that country followed a regular pattern.

Collectively the inhabitants were called 'the Chinese'; individually they were called 'Chinaman' or 'Chinamen'. That is all there was to it. 'John Chinaman' bore comparison with 'John Bull'. The former term was no more derogatory than the latter. I only speculate why the word 'Chinaman' got a bad name, so to speak.

One possibility is that it took colouring from the context of the slighting comments about Chinese people, such as 'The average Chinaman has no conception of truthfulness'. But that would be an ignorant inference, as writers who compared Chinese people favourably with Westerners also used the word 'Chinaman'. A more respectable reason for it falling into disfavour is its gender.

It became unacceptable to ignore the female half of the population, and there being no term 'Chinawoman', the exclusively male term gave way to the gender-free 'Chinese' used as a noun.

Regrettably, the word 'Chinaman' has not been allowed to rest in peace.

It is brought out to show that the Chinese have always been the victims of racial prejudice. Racial prejudice certainly did and does exist, against the Chinese as against all peoples. But the word itself is innocent.