this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2024
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That’s not how Chinese language works. Just because 白 (bái) can be part of a word that means “idiot” doesn’t mean that it is infused with the meaning of idiocy. That’s like saying “the bai in baizuo is also from mingbai, which means clear/reasonable so baizuo doesn’t just mean white left but also reasonable left”. Which is obviously absurd lol. In most contexts, 白 means “white” and nothing else, although there are obviously many cultural associations with the colour white that are layered on top of that.
The connection between baizuo and baichi was established by those reactionaries. Like, you can say that baizuo is just an abbreviated form of baichi zuopai (idiotic left). "bai = white and zuo = left, so baizuo = white left" is something you would say if you just ran each character individually through Google Translate. Nobody calls the Black Panthers "heizuo" even though the two characters translated separately is "Black left."
My broader point is that the term, due to its reactionary origins, isn't as innocently translated as "white left."
Hmm a "soyboy wojak" situation
Or how "aquaponics" is "aquaculture hydroponics."
Is this your hypothesis or did you read this somewhere? The wiki article in the OP says 是”白人”与“左派”两个标签结合组成的称号, i.e., it’s a grouping of “white person” and “left wing”. I’m not saying you’re wrong, it’s just that I didn’t get that vibe as someone who speaks Chinese, especially because 白痴 is more of a clinical/bookish term for idiot and not something I heard people say very often in everyday life. I only went to uni in China and I’m not a native speaker though.