No Gay Definition In New Edition Of The Chinese Dictionary

Details: Published on Monday, 23 July 2012 18:10; Written by E-Li

chinese dictionary

The committee charged with updating the Chinese dictionary has omitted the homosexual definition of the word "tongzhi" often used to refer gays and lesbians.

The word "tongzhi" traditionally means "comrade" as reports CNN, and has been widely used by the Communist Party. But in recent decades the word has evolved to refer to homosexuals.

Apparently, the committee did not want to encourage its use, it is indeed what told the director of the committee Jiang Langsheng to Chengdu Business Daily.

"It's unacceptable that the 'gay' meaning of 'tongzhi' was excluded from the dictionary, a reference book written for all, simply because of the compilers' own preferences and values," Nan Feng, a gay rights activist told the state-run news agency Xinhua.

He adds that "tongzhi" serves as a substitute for "tongxinglian," which is the formal Chinese term for homosexuality.

According to Xinhua, the 2005 edition of the Contemporary Chinese Dictionary defines "tongxinglian" both as same-sex love and as a psychosexual disorder.

Homosexuality is not regarded any more as a mental disorder since 2001 in China.