为什么中国人叫俄罗斯人 “老毛子”？ [美国媒体]

Why do Chinese people call Russians "lao mao zi"?

为什么中国人叫俄罗斯人 “老毛子”？

I first heard the word from my Chinese classmates. I have asked them the meaning of this word. But they also don't know the etymology of “lao mao zi”.

问题描述：我第一次是从我的中国同学听到的，我问过他们这个词的意思，但他们也不知道“lao mao zi”这个词的来源。



Kevin Pan, From China
It was derived from the late Qing dynasty when Russia annexed large parts of territories in Qing's northeast, during the process through contact with the Russians, China's northeasterners thought they are rude and rough, and also as Russians are mostly of Caucasians, whose bodies tend to be pretty hairy. As a combination of these two factors, the word “Lao Mao Zi” is a derogatory stereotype about them.

它起源于清末，当时俄国吞并了清朝东北的大片领土，在与俄国人接触的过程中，中国的北方人认为他们粗鲁、粗暴，而且由于俄国人大多是高加索人，他们的身体往往毛茸茸的，这两种因素的结合就出现了“老毛子”一词，这是一种贬义的刻板印象。

Shiyue Mao, lives in China
In brief, "Lao mao tzu" or "Lao mao zi" (老毛子) is an idiom typically used in the northeast region of China, where the territory borders on Russia. This phrase is used to call Russian with disfavor and contempt.
It was originated from the late period of Qing Dynasty, about more than 100 years ago, when Russia invaded China and occupied a great number of lands in the northeast region of China. Due to the brutal acts and behaviour, local dwellers created such a phrase as "Lao mao zi" to describe Russians by their shape and exterior.
BTW, Russians are not the only group of people who are named with contempt by Chinese, others like Korean (棒子), Indian (阿三), Japanese (鬼子), etc. are all called by a specially contempt name. I do not agree such rude behavior and I hope it would be rare in future. After all, all races are equally living in the world.

简单的说，“Lao mao tzu”或"Lao mao zi" ( 老毛子 ) 是一个中国东北地区典型俗语，该地区的领土与俄罗斯接壤，这个短语用来称呼俄罗斯人，指其不受欢迎和蔑视的意思。
它起源于大约100多年前的清末，当时俄国入侵中国，占领了中国东北地区的大量土地，由于其野蛮的行径，当地居民创造了“老毛子”这个词来形容俄罗斯人的外形和外表。
此外，俄罗斯人并不是唯一被中国人轻蔑的群体，其他人，如韩国人( 棒子 )、印度人( 阿三 )、日本人( 鬼子 ) 等，都是特别轻蔑的称呼，我不同意这种粗鲁的行为，我希望将来这种行为会更少见，毕竟，世界上所有的种族都是平等的。

Robinson Law, don't really like any religion
The best answer is shown below:
Tsarist Russia was originated from the Duchy of Moscow. Through continuous expansion, it has become a trans-Eurasian Empire by the time it reached Peter I and Catherine.  
Initially a Chinese territory throughout the Yuan Dynasty, the Russians appropriated the Lingbei and Liaoyang provinces and large tracts of land for themselves during this time.  It has also gradually begun to cause territorial disputes and regional conflicts unilaterally with China's Qing Dynasty, riding on the latter's national decline. 
The Czar of Russia took the opportunity to move further south, forced the Qing government to cede further, the area to the north of Heilongjiang Stanovoy (originally Chinese Manchu), a vast territory in which Mongolians and other ethnic minorities lived for generations.  
It has also infiltrated China's northeast hinterland, mad grabbing all possible interests. In the process of constant invasion, the Tsarist Russians brutally murdered people across lands, including cases such as Sixty-Four Villages East of the Blagoveshchensk River and the terminations of local ethnic Hans.  
Russia's barbaric aggression aroused indignation of the Chinese people, the word"Lao Maozi"was created in such a background, by combining the Russian people's physical characteristics and temperaments generated.

沙皇俄国最初源于莫斯科公国，经过不断的扩张，到彼得一世和叶卡捷琳娜女皇时期成为横跨欧亚的大帝国。
此时沙俄已将元代时属于中国领土的岭北行省和辽阳行省大片土地据为己有，并逐渐开始与我国的清王朝产生领土争端和地区冲突。
清朝后期，国力衰落，沙皇俄国乘机南下，强迫清政府割让黑龙江 外兴安岭以北原属中国满族 蒙古族等少数民族世代居住的大片领土，并开始向东北腹地渗透，疯狂攫取利益。 
在不断入侵我国的过程中沙俄制造了包括江东六十四屯 海兰泡在内的多起惨案， 残忍杀害包括汉族在内的当地各民族同胞， 俄罗斯人的野蛮侵略激起了中国人民的愤慨，“老毛子”这个词是在这样的背景下结合俄罗斯人的外貌特征和性情而产生的。

Steven Lee (李扬灵), lived in China
People in Eastern European countries, typically used to belong to the Soviet Union, are all called "Maozi", not just the Russians. 
That is based on a stereotype that eastern Europeans are very hairy and rude (brute).
So the Russians, the Belarus, the Ukranians are called "Lao Maozi" (老毛子) or "White Maozi" (白毛子) cause they have fair skin, while the Azerbaijans and the Turks are called "Black Maozi" (黑毛子) because of the ralatively darker skin, in addition, those ostentatious Eastern Europeans are call Big Maozi (大毛子).

东欧国家的人，通常曾经属于苏联，都被称为“毛子”，而不仅仅是俄罗斯人。
这基于东欧人非常多毛和粗鲁( 野蛮 ) 的刻板印象。
因此，俄罗斯人、白俄罗斯人、乌克兰人被称为“ 老毛子 ”( Lao Maozi )或“白毛子”( White Maozi )，因为他们皮肤白皙，阿塞拜疆人和突厥人因皮肤相对较黑而被称为“黑毛子”( Black Maozi )，此外，那些招摇的东欧人被称为“大毛子”(Big Maozi)。

Yi Lu, born and educated in China, working to become a Chinese academic.
I just checked Chinese online encyclopedia and translate the contents below:
It was a calling with scorn, originated from Northeast China more than 100 years ago. At that time China was in Qing Dynasty and was not industralized. Russia was strong and invaded China and encroached our land. Northeast people were close to the border and suffered. They hated the invaders and call them “Lao Mao zi”. Literally “Mao” means hair, so I guess that is because Russians have longer hair compared with us.
But time has changed and the emotion in this word fades out. I didn’t know the history either until I checked its origins online. I think most Chinese don’t know that. It becomes just a casual nickname for Russians. So I hope you and your classmates get along well :)

我刚刚查阅了中文在线百科全书，并翻译了以下内容：
这是一种轻蔑的称呼，起源于一百多年前的中国东北地区，当时的中国还处于清朝，还没有实现工业化。
俄国很强大，入侵了中国，侵占了我们的土地，东北地区的人民就在边境附近受苦受难，他们痛恨入侵者，称他们为“老毛子”，“毛”的字面意思是头发，所以我猜那是因为俄罗斯人的头发比我们长。
但时过境迁，这个词中的情感渐渐淡出，我也不知道具体的历史，直到我在网上查到它的起源，我想大多数中国人都不知道。
这只是一个俄罗斯人的普通绰号，所以我希望你和你的同学相处愉快。：）

Huseyin Esin Altun, Entrepreneur, Business Consultant, Teacher in Shanghai,China
老毛子 (lao mao zi) basically means ‘hairy’ and the term is believed to be originated in the northern part of China called Dongbei where there are many Russians settled from the old times on. Because Chinese people are so fond of calling foreigners weird names (sometimes quite on point tho) in order to label or just call them and even Russians have hairier bodies than Chinese, they are called ‘老毛子’.

老毛子的基本意思是“多毛的”，这个词被认为起源于中国东北地区，那里有许多从旧时代就定居下来的俄罗斯人。
因为中国人非常喜欢用奇怪的名字来称呼外国人，有时甚至完全是为了给他们贴标签或给他们一个称呼，俄罗斯人的体毛也比中国人多，所以他们被称为“老毛子”。

Pilate Giggle
mao（毛） is a Chinese character which means hairy .That’s just the straight feeling of the Russion appearance.
UNFORTUNATELY it is invited by Chinese as a pejorative appellation for the invasion of Tsar in Qing dynasty.
BUT by now the pejorative meaning of the word is almost disappeared and replaced with the admiring of the tough Russia military tech and doughty lifestyle.

毛是一个汉字，意思是毛茸茸的，这是俄国人外观上给人的直接感觉。
遗憾的是，它被中国人用作对清朝时期沙皇俄国入侵的贬义称谓。
但到目前为止，这个词的贬义几乎消失了，取而代之的是对强硬的俄罗斯军事技术和强硬的生活方式的赞赏。

Shu Hu
As a Chinese, I'm not sure what does “MaoZi” mean in the past. But currently it's not a bad name. “Lao”actually shows a kind of close relationship, just like when Chinese call foreigners “Lao Wai” it actually shows friendly.
By the way, most of Chinese don't call Russian “LaoMaoZi” but call them “ELuoSiRen” (Russian).

作为一个中国人，我不知道“毛子”在过去是什么意思，但现在这个名字还不错。
“老”其实是一种亲密的称谓，就像中国人叫外国人“老外”一样，其实是友好的。
顺便说一句，大多数中国人不叫俄罗斯人“老毛子”，而是叫他们“ ELuoSiRen”( 俄罗斯人)。

Thomas, lived in China
i Just want to say that this description tends to be Derogatory sense...We also call them "mao tzu" and their nation "the fighter nation".they come from the the "cold" world and are always furry."mao"(毛) means their furry and it's the key word."tzu" can be used as noun suffix in chinese culture.

我只想说，这种描述往往是贬义的。。。我们也称他们为"毛子"（mao tzu），称他们的民族是" 战斗民族"， 他们来自" 寒冷"的世界，毛发茂盛， "mao"(毛) 是指毛茸茸的，这是关键词， " tzu"（子）在中国文化中可以用作名词后缀。

Joseph Boyle
The word for hat, 帽子 màozi, also comes to mind. In the West we're also familiar with the stereotype of Russians wearing big fur hats with flaps that fold down.

人们还可以联想到帽子（hat）一词，即“帽子”（màozi），在西方，我们也和熟悉俄罗斯人戴着折叠起来的大毛皮帽的刻板印象。

Peson Wang, API Sales
In this word, the key is “mao tzu”, in fact, we call it “mao zi” the mean is the guy who have many chaeta, you know chineses usually don’t thrive for that, and Russians almost have this feature.
And the first word “lao” just a usual adjectives word for person.

在这个词中，关键词是“mao tzu”，实际上，我们称它为“Mao zi”，意思是有很多毛发的人，你知道中国人通常毛发不茂盛，而俄罗斯人却有这个特点。
而第一个词“lao”（老）只是一个常用的形容词。

Anonymous
The nick name of the famous director Zhang Yimou is Lao Mou Tzu. so you see it is not that bad. Lao (literally means old) means 'sharp', 'not simple' or 'experienced'. In the north, when you are 40 years old or above, it is common to be called Lao xxx where xxx is you family name. It doesn't really mean you are old. Mao (hairy) is to describe Russians. Tzu is just a common word to complete the nick name in the north. For example, son is often called 儿子 (er tzu) instead of 儿 (er). wife is called 妻子 (qi tzu) instead of 妻 (qi).

着名导演张艺谋的昵称是“老谋子”，所以你看，也没那么糟糕。“老”(字面意思是“old ”)的意思是“犀利”、“不简单”或“有经验”，在北方，当你40岁或40岁以上时，人们通常称你为“老XXX”，其中xxx是你的姓氏，这并不意味着你真的老了，“Mao”毛是用来形容俄罗斯人的，在北方，“ Tzu”只是一个普通的词用来结束昵称。例如，儿子通常被称为“儿子( Er tzu) ”而不是“儿”(“er”)，妻子则被称为“妻子”( qi tzu)，而不是“妻”(“qi”)。

Wang Haoyu
Lao mao tuz "老毛子" is a old-fashioned way to call Russians
The more popular way to call them is "nation of fight" 战斗民族

“老毛子”是一种老套的称呼俄罗斯人的方式。
更流行的称呼是“战斗民族”（"nation of fight"）。

Galano Han, interests
Because the Cossacks were sent to the outer Amur river area as the early Russian settlers. Normally these soldiers had long mustaches and beards, with leather caps.

因为哥萨克人作为早期俄国殖民者被派往阿穆尔河外（黑龙江）地区，这些士兵通常留着长胡子，戴着皮帽。

Duan Mengyan, college student about ad
毛 mao means fine hair.I think there are two reasons. one is Russians have much whiskers and they always wear fur coat which because winter is cold and long .besides they are strong enough and without fear .They can drink vodka with bear .So chinese also call them mao xiong （毛熊）or zhan dou min zu（战斗民族）(means they are forceful) . It is like a joke .

毛的意思是“ 多毛的”。我认为有两个原因。一个是俄罗斯人长胡子，他们总是穿毛皮大衣，因为冬天又冷又长。此外，他们很强壮，无所畏惧，他们可以和熊一起喝伏特加，所以中国人也叫他们毛熊或战斗民族。( 意思是说他们很有力量)，这是一句玩笑话。
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