Tong-zhi 同志

6/8/2019

lit. comrade/queer

pronounced as: tone zhi
(to pronounce zhi, say “jay (j)” without the “ay” sound)

“Tong-zhi” (同志) might originate from the idiom: “zhi tong dao he” (志同道合), or literally, the ones who share the same aspiration and walk the same path.
In the 20th century, ”tong-zhi” became the Chinese equivalent of “comrade” under the influence of socialism/communism.
In the 80s, “tong-zhi” was appropriated (again) by the LGBT+ community from Hong Kong to address fellow queer folks. Today, tong-zhi has become a respectful and popular term to address LGBT+ folks or to self-identify.

References:

Liang'an Mengdian 兩岸萌典, s.v. "tóngzhì 同志," accessed June 15, 2019. https://www.moedict.tw/~同志. Note: definitions available in Chinese, English, French, and German)
Hi，同志！林奕华 <Hi, Tongzhi! Edward Yik-Wa Lam>. Beijing LGBT Center 北京同志中心. Accessed June 15, 2019. http://www.bjlgbtcenter.org.cn/52/i-2436.html.

(Note: this article is in simplified Chinese; it is taken from an interview with Edward Lam, originally published by Phoenix News Media 鳳凰網)

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