Insek kwakang

Cebuano

Alternative forms

• Insik wakang
• Intsik wakang
• Insik gwakang
• Inchik wakang
• Inchek kwakang
• Inchik gwakang

Etymology

From ellipsis of earlier limericks, such as Insik wakang, kaon, kalibang (literally “Chinese (laborer), I work, eat, and shit!”) or Insek kwakang baboy tikangkang (literally “Chinese (laborer), I work and pose like a pig!”), which were old racist derogatory visayan limericks repeatedly sang by children on the streets during the late 1800s, when opium dens were rampant and many overseas Chinese migrants worked as low-wage laborers. The words themselves are Insik (“Chinese”) + wakang (“ethnic slur expression used to tease Chinese”), both deriving from Hokkien 引叔 (ín-chek, “uncle”) and Hokkien 我工 (guá kang, “I work”) or 我空 (óa-khàng!, “my heavens!; OMG!; wow! (expletive)”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: In‧sek‧kwa‧kang

Interjection

Insek kwákang!

1. (ethnic slur, slang, derogatory, offensive) A limerick used to tease or insult a Chinese person or Filipinos of Chinese descent.

Noun

Insek kwákang

1. (offensive, ethnic slur) a person with Chinese-like facial features; a Chinese person or Filipino of Chinese descent

Usage notes

• Usage is usually particularly offensive or provocative as a derogatory ethnic slur limerick from its crude or pejorative connotations in the past, especially to Chinese Filipinos.

Derived terms

• Tsekwa
• wákang insik, tsíbay!
• wakang!