taikonaut

/ ˈtaɪkəʊˌnɔːt /

noun

1. an astronaut from the People's Republic of China

Word History and Origins

Origin of taikonaut¹

C20: from Cantonese taikon(g) cosmos + _-naut

Example Sentences

China held a send-off ceremony on Friday for a new crew of astronauts set to depart for its space station, including its youngest "taikonaut" and four lab mice.

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Wang Yaping made history as the first Chinese woman to conduct a spacewalk This mission is not only China’s longest, but taikonaut Wang Yaping made history as the first Chinese woman to visit the Tianhe space station and also became the first Chinese woman to conduct a spacewalk.

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As an Air Force pilot, she accumulated 1,600 flight hours before being selected as a taikonaut, as the Chinese call astronauts.

Read more on New York Times

China launched its first satellite in 1970, while human spaceflight took decades longer – with Yang Liwei becoming the first “taikonaut” in 2003.

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The first Chinese astronaut, or taikonaut, Yang Liwei, was launched in 2003.

Read more on Salon