baizuo

American  

[bahy-zwuh, bahy-zoh] / ˈbaɪˌzwə, ˈbaɪˌzoʊ /

noun

Chinese: Disparaging.

1. a liberal or progressive viewed as patronizing, hypocritical, and naive, or as being concerned only with trendy causes, political correctness, virtue signaling, etc., rather than with addressing real-world problems in a realistic way: adopted by some conservatives in American political discourse.

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Etymology

Origin of baizuo

First recorded in 2015–20; from Mandarin Chinese: literally, “white left,” from bái “white, empty” (compare Cantonese baak; akin to Japanese haku, Korean baek, Vietnamese bạch ) + zuǒ “left, east” (compare Cantonese zo; akin to Japanese sa, Korean jwa, Vietnamese tả ); alternatively, the first element is a shortening of báichī “idiot,” from bái + chī “foolish, stupid” (compare Cantonese ci; akin to Japanese, Korean chi, Vietnamese si )

Example Sentences

“Try to learn from the tricks of those pro-Hong Kong independence activists. If you push me I will fall over. Fake tumble, cry and wail, call campus police. We are too strong, which won’t work in the world of baizuo.”

From Washington Post

Among themselves, mainland Chinese students share advice on how to attract sympathetic coverage in confrontations with the left-wing activists they call the “baizuo,” a pejorative term for Western liberals that translates as “white left.”

From Washington Post

“Free trade, immigration, refugees, these are things that baizuo support,” said Luo Xing, 23, a recent college graduate in Beijing.

From Los Angeles Times

Internet users have even spawned a new term, baizuo, or “white left,” to criticize Western-style progressives.

From Los Angeles Times

“Now I dislike him for some of the same reasons baizuo don't like him.”

From Los Angeles Times