chinaman's chance

billzhao

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Chinaman为什么是个贬义词呢？应该是说话人的态度决定了吧。开始的时候比较崇拜中国人，所以chinaman 是中义或者褒义，但是后来中国人成了东亚病夫，这个词也就成了贬义词。瞎猜的啊，还请指正

& ?* u, i' [* K- y* lChinaman指中国人，尽管老式词典不把它当做贬义词（derogatory），但现在它已经演变为对中国人和亚洲人的负面（pejorative/negative）种族歧视语（ethnic slur）。现代词典和种族歧视指导手册都把它当做侮辱性（offensive）用语，但类似结构的Englishman、Frenchman、Irishman、Dutchman、Norseman和Welshman则毫无贬义。历史上，Chinaman出现在人名、法律文件、文学作品、地理名称等处，也有华人自称Chinaman，也有称呼日本人为Chinaman的【参加过甲午战争和日俄战争的日本海军元帅东乡平八郎（Togo Heihachiro）在英国学习时曾被叫做Johnny Chinaman；另注：东条英机通常拼写为Tojo Hideki。】，和Chinese person含义接近。但近代开始，Chinaman带有明显贬义，被海外华人社会所反对。例如，加拿大落基山脉的Chinaman’s Peak已经改为Ha Ling Peak。现在Chinaman还出现在某些场合，例如【Chinaman’s chance表示没机会】等。
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比较奇怪： chinaman's chance怎么表示没有机会？要不怎么老马竞选省长落选呢

billzhao

The expression a Chinaman's chance means someone has no chance at all of accomplishing or successfully doing an action.

7 ^. y+ r# m6 c( L, @* ^The original phrase, from the California gold rush, was that one had only a Chinaman's Chance in Hell, but it morphed through usage into its current state.
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History

The historical context of the phrase comes from the old railroad and Goldrush days of pre-California, where many Chinese came to work as laborers for the First Transcontinental Railroad, especially the Central Pacific Railroad. In this employ, they were sought out for the demanding and dangerous jobs involving explosives, often for half the pay of the Mexican workers. Yet the Chinese faced higher taxes, denials of citizenship and could not testify in court for violence against them.

Clouded origins

7 M( N$ x4 _0 i7 U" @+ eThe Chinaman's chance originated from the early 19th century potentially from several events. One explanation is that at that time, Chinese migrant workers in the U.S. were sent into mines and construction sites to ignite dynamite, potentially with disastrous consequences. They were also lowered over cliffs by rope and boatswain's chairs to set dynamite to clear mountain and other obstructions to make way for the railroad construction. In this work, if they were not lifted back up before the blast, serious injury or death would result. Therefore the phrase a "A Chinaman's Chance" may have been coined in this context.
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Another explanation for the phrase is the California Gold Rush 1849. The travel time for news of the gold rush to reach China was quite long, and by the time Chinese from China arrived to prospect, many of the rich mines were already taken. These Chinese immigrants who missed out time-wise had to work with only those lands which had already been exploited or which were rejected by others, meaning these "Chinamen" had a slim chance of success. The historical record, however, indicates that many Chinese combined efforts with each other and did very well in the goldfields, introducing mining techniques then unknown to non-Chinese.
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According to Nothing Like It in the World by Stephen Ambrose, his book on building the railroad, the phrase was cemented by murders of Chinese that were condoned by state law. "In 1854, in a case heard in Nevada County, George W. Hall was convicted of murdering a Chinese man. On appeal to the State Supreme Court the decision was overturned because all of the evidence against him was from Chinese individuals."