A.B.C. [ey-bee-see]
-acronym: American-born Chinese
-noun
1. a person of Chinese descent born in the United States, a variation of Chinese-American: He may look like he was born in Shanghai, but he’s an A.B.C.
2. a derogatory term used to describe someone who is ethnically Chinese but culturally American: She is such an A.B.C., her Mandarin totally sucks
-adjective
3. of, pertaining to or suitable for a Chinese-American: Her outfit is so A.B.C.
Origin: Unknown, probably some witty expat.
Commentary: Living in an international city like Shanghai, it is often difficult to tell where people are from. I had a friend who was half Japanese and half Australian living in Shanghai dating a French girl. How, based on appearance, could anyone tell what his story was? Out of this confusion came a need for descriptive slang like “A.B.C.” I had never heard this phrase until I moved to China, where I’ve heard it used both as a neutral adjective and hurled as an insult. Within mainland China, A.B.C.’s are sometimes stereotyped as being rich and arrogant and having poor Chinese language skills. Native Chinese can feel A.B.C.s are different from them culturally and view them more as Americans than as Chinese. So, in the spirit of other food/race slang such as “oreo”, A.B.C.s commonly refer to themselves as “bananas” or “twinkies”, for being yellow on the outside and white on the inside.
(Jess G.)