What does chinaman mean?
'Chinaman' is best known today as a specialist term in cricket: a type of left-arm unorthodox spin delivery, bowled with the wrist by a right-handed bowler, that turns from the off side toward the leg side of a right-handed batsman — the reverse of a conventional leg-break. The name is usually traced to Ellis 'Puss' Achong, a Trinidadian spinner of Chinese heritage, who took a wicket with such a delivery against England in 1933, prompting the English batsman Walter Robins to remark on being out to a 'chinaman'. The word also carries a second, much darker history: it was long used in English-speaking countries as a blanket term for a Chinese man, a usage now firmly established as offensive and largely confined to historical texts. In modern writing, therefore, 'chinaman' should be treated as a cricketing term of art, while its ethnic sense belongs to the past and is best avoided entirely.
A left-arm unorthodox spin delivery in cricket, bowled with a wrist action so that the ball turns from the off side to the leg side of a right-handed batsman.
"He deceived the batsman completely with a beautifully flighted chinaman."
This is the only sense in standard modern usage.
(dated, now offensive) A Chinese man.
"Historical newspapers from the era frequently used the term, which is now recognised as a racial slur."
Avoided in contemporary English; regarded as offensive. Use 'Chinese man' instead.
The plural applies mainly to the cricketing sense (e.g., bowlers of this type); the plural of the dated ethnic sense is avoided due to its offensive connotation.
"Genuine chinamen are rare at the top level of the game."
Cricket's most confusing delivery is named after a Chinese-West Indian bowler whose lucky wicket in 1933 gave the world the 'chinaman'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chinaman
The cricketing sense derives from the proper noun 'China', combined with 'man'; it is generally attributed to Ellis Achong, a West Indian left-arm spinner of Chinese descent, whose delivery dismissed the English batsman Walter Robins during a Test match in 1933, leading Robins to reportedly say he had been bowled by a 'chinaman'. The word's earlier ethnic sense — a Chinese man — arose in the 19th century as one of many compound terms formed with national or ethnic names plus 'man' (compare 'Frenchman', 'Irishman'). Both senses ultimately trace back to 'China', the English name for the country, itself derived via Persian and Sanskrit from the Qin dynasty.
How chinaman is actually used
In contemporary English, 'chinaman' survives almost exclusively as a cricket term. The older ethnic sense referring to a Chinese person is now widely regarded as offensive and should be avoided; use 'Chinese man' instead.
Easily confused with chinaman
A googly is an off-breaking delivery bowled by a right-handed leg-spinner that turns into a right-handed batsman, whereas a chinaman is the mirror-image delivery: a left-arm unorthodox spinner's ball that turns away from the right-handed batsman.