| Ang mo | |
| Hàn-jī | 紅毛 |
|---|---|
| Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Âng-mô͘ |
| Literal meaning | red-haired |
| Tâi-lô | Âng-môo |
| IPA | [aŋ˧mɔ̃˧˥] |
Ang mo orang moh (Chinese:紅毛;Pe̍h-ōe-jī:âng-mô͘ / âng-mn̂g;lit. 'red hair') is a descriptor used to refer towhite people. It is used mainly inMalaysia andSingapore, and sometimes inThailand andTaiwan. It literally means "red-haired" and originates fromHokkien, a variety ofSouthern Min.[1]
Other similar terms includeang mo kow (紅毛猴; 'red-haired monkey'),ang mo kui (紅毛鬼; 'red-haired devil'),ang mo lang (紅毛儂 / 紅毛人; 'red-haired people'). Although the term has historically had some derogatory connotations, it has entered common parlance as a neutral term in Singapore and Malaysia, where it refers to a white person or, when used as an adjective, Western culture in general.
The earliest origin for the termang mo could be traced to the contact betweenHokkien (Southern Min) speakers in southernFujian with thePortuguese Empire andDutch East India Company during theHaijin ("Sea Ban") period in the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest known uses of the term in writing is found in the early 1600sSelden Map, which labels theMaluku Islands of Indonesia withang mo, likely referring to the Dutch presence there.[2] In the late 1500s, Ming Ministry of Justice official Wang Linheng submitted a memorial reporting on the arrival of "red-haired devils" on China's southern coast, while in 1755 Zhejiang provincial authorities reported on the arrival of "red hair" seafarers under British merchant James Flint.[3]
During the 17th century, the Dutch East India Company failed in its attempt to force their way into Fujian to trade in the 1620s during theSino-Dutch conflicts and were calledang mo by the locals. The Dutch East India Company and then theSpanish Empire had colonizedTaiwan, and the Spanish builtFort Santo Domingo inTamsui,Taiwan. The Dutch later drove the Spanish out and seized the fort, which also became known as the "City of the Red-Haired" (Chinese:紅毛城; pinyin:hóng máo chéng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī:Âng-mn̂g-siâⁿ) inTaiwanese Hokkien.Dutch people were known in Taiwan asang mo lang ("red-haired people") in Taiwanese Hokkien. This is most likely because red hair is a relatively common trait among the Dutch. This historical termang mo lang continues to be used in the context of Taiwanese history to refer to Dutch people.
The Chinese characters forang mo are the same as those in the historical Japanese termkōmō (紅毛), which was used during theEdo period (1603–1868) as an epithet for (Northwestern Europeans) white people. It primarily referred to Dutch traders who were the only Europeans allowed to trade with Japan during theSakoku, its 200-year period of isolation.[4] Portuguese and Spanish traders were in contrast referred to asnanban (南蛮), which is in turn cognate to the Chinesenanman and means "southern barbarians".[5]
During the 19th century,Walter Henry Medhurst made a reference in his academic workA Dictionary of the Hok-Këèn Dialect of the Chinese Language thatâng mô ("red haired") generally applied to theEnglish people. With the large migration ofthe Hoklo toSoutheast Asia, predominantlyMalaysia andSingapore, the termang moh became more widespread and was used to refer to white people in general.
The termang mo is usually viewed as racist and derogatory by white people.[6] Others, however, maintain it is acceptable.[7] Despite this, it is a widely used term, at least among non-Westerners. It appears, for instance, in Singaporean newspapers such asThe Straits Times,[8] and in television programs and films.
InSingapore andMalaysia, the termang mo sai (Chinese:紅毛屎;lit. 'red-haired shit') is a derogatory term used within the Chinese community for mocking other Chinese who are not able to read Chinese.[9]
紅毛âng mô, red haired, generally applied to the English people.
The culture which entered Japan through the Dutch language was called Kōmō culture – Kōmō means red hair.;
His [Morishima Chūryō's] book on the Dutch, 'Red-hair miscellany' (Kōmō zatsuwa), also appeared in 1787. ... 'Red-hair miscellany' is the first book which contains a relatively extensive description of the daily life of the Dutch residents in the confinements of Deshima, the man made island allotted to them in the Bay of Nagasaki.;
Several Dutch surgical schools were founded through which Dutch surgery, known in Japan as 'surgery of the red-haired' was propagated.;
Dutch taste dictated a new style of export lacquer known as 'komo shikki' ('red hair' – a common term for Northern Europeans), in which elaborate gold-lacquer decoration replaced the complex inlays of Nanban ware.
[M]any of my Singaporean friends felt the termang moh was definitely racist. Said one, with surprising finality: "The original term wasang moh gui which means "red hair devil" in Hokkien. That's definitely racist". However, thegui bit has long been dropped from the term, defanging it considerably. ... Bothang moh gui andgwailo – Cantonese for "devil person" – originated from the initial Chinese suspicion of foreigners way back in those days when the country saw itself as the Middle Kingdom.;
As an 'ang moh' who has lived here for over six years, I hope more people will realise just how offensive the term is.
To have my Chinese Singaporean friends call meang moh is more humorous than anything else. As no insult is intended, none is taken.
