A derogatory or dated term for Chinese people, or in cricket slang, a type of bowling delivery (spin bowling).
From 'China' plus 'man'; the term emerged in the colonial period as Europeans categorized non-European populations; in cricket, the term 'Chinaman' was applied to a particular bowling style in the early 1900s.
The cricket usage is deeply problematic: the term 'Chinaman' was applied to a bowling style invented by a West Indian cricketer in the 1930s simply because it was exotic and confusing to English players, showing how casual racism got baked into the very vocabulary of the sport.
Historically loaded term carrying both ethnic and gender-specific assumptions; 'Chinamen' was used in colonial contexts with gendered stereotypes about Asian men, often feminizing or denigrating them alongside anti-Asian racism.
Use 'Chinese people,' 'Chinese workers,' or specific nationality/region. The -men suffix flattens identity and carries colonial baggage.
["Chinese people","Chinese workers","people from China","Chinese nationals"]
Chinese women and non-binary people were systematically erased from 'Chinamen' discourse; recognize full humanity of all Chinese people.
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