Chinaman's chance

Chinaman's chance

The expression a Chinaman's chance means someone has no chance at all of accomplishing or successfully doing an action.

The original phrase, from the California gold rush, was that one had only a Chinaman's Chance in Hell, but it morphed through usage into its current state.

Contents

History

The historical context of the phrase comes from the old railroad and Goldrush days of pre-California, where many Chinese came to work as laborers for the First Transcontinental Railroad, especially the Central Pacific Railroad. In this employ, they were sought out for the demanding and dangerous jobs involving explosives, often for half the pay of the Mexican workers. Yet the Chinese faced higher taxes, denials of citizenship and could not testify in court for violence against them.

Clouded origins

The Chinaman's chance originated from the early 19th century potentially from several events. One explanation is that at that time, Chinese migrant workers in the U.S. were sent into mines and construction sites to ignite dynamite, potentially with disastrous consequences. They were also lowered over cliffs by rope and boatswain's chairs to set dynamite to clear mountain and other obstructions to make way for the railroad construction. In this work, if they were not lifted back up before the blast, serious injury or death would result. Therefore the phrase a "A Chinaman's Chance" may have been coined in this context.

Another explanation for the phrase is the California Gold Rush 1849. The travel time for news of the gold rush to reach China was quite long, and by the time Chinese from China arrived to prospect, many of the rich mines were already taken. These Chinese immigrants who missed out time-wise had to work with only those lands which had already been exploited or which were rejected by others, meaning these "Chinamen" had a slim chance of success. The historical record, however, indicates that many Chinese combined efforts with each other and did very well in the goldfields, introducing mining techniques then unknown to non-Chinese.[1]

According to Nothing Like It in the World by Stephen Ambrose, his book on building the railroad, the phrase was cemented by murders of Chinese that were condoned by state law. "In 1854, in a case heard in Nevada County, George W. Hall was convicted of murdering a Chinese man. On appeal to the State Supreme Court the decision was overturned because all of the evidence against him was from Chinese individuals." [2]

See also

References

Additional reading


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • chinaman's chance — noun Usage: usually capitalized 1st C slang : the slightest or barest chance usually used in negative constructions he hasn t a Chinaman s chance of winning …   Useful english dictionary

  • Chinaman's chance — noun No chance; zero possibility; a high or almost certain risk of death or failure. The Chinese, who in the mid 19th century had come to America by the tens of thousands and helped build the transcontinental railway, were on the receiving end of …   Wiktionary

  • a Chinaman's chance — idi+sts a Chinaman s chance, usu. off. the slightest chance …   From formal English to slang

  • Chinaman (term) — Chinaman is a contentious English language term that denotes a Chinese man or person, whether by Han Chinese ethnicity, or as a Chinese national, or, in some cases, an indiscriminate term for a person native to geographical East Asia or of… …   Wikipedia

  • Chinaman — (term) is a contentious term referring to a Chinese person whether of Han Chinese ethnicity or a citizen of China, Chinese people. Or the term may also refer to: A colloquial term for a square hay baler overhead feeding plunger An alternate term… …   Wikipedia

  • Chinaman (disambiguation) — Chinaman refers to a Chinese man, but the term may also refer to:* Chinaman (cricket), a style of bowling * Chinaman (politics), epithet used in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. * Chinaman (porcelain), a figurine or a dealer * Chinaman (ship), engaged in… …   Wikipedia

  • Chinaman — /chuy neuh meuhn/, n., pl. Chinamen. 1. Usually Offensive. a Chinese or a person of Chinese descent. 2. (l.c.) a person who imports or sells china. 3. (often l.c.) Political Slang. a person regarded as one s benefactor, sponsor, or protector: to… …   Universalium

  • Chinaman — Chi•na•man [[t]ˈtʃaɪ nə mən[/t]] n. pl. men sts peo off older use: usu. off. (a term used to refer to a Chinese.) • a Chinaman s chance Etymology: 1765–75 usage: Definition1is rarely used today. Definition1as well as the expression a Chinaman s… …   From formal English to slang

  • Chinese American history — is the history of Chinese Americans or the history of ethnic Chinese in the United States. Chinese immigration to the U.S. consisted of three major waves, with the first beginning in the 19th century. Chinese immigrants in the 19th century worked …   Wikipedia

  • Ross Thomas (author) — Ross Thomas (born February 19, 1926, in Oklahoma City – December 18, 1995, in Santa Monica, California) was an American writer of crime fiction. He is best known for his witty thrillers that expose the mechanisms of professional politics. He also …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”