gam1 saan1 haak3金山客
Jyutpinggam1 saan1 haak3
Yalegām sāan haak
Definition
An overseas Chinese person returning to China from North America, especially during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
colloquialpeopleother
How it's used
Gold Mountain refers to the United States and Canada during the gold rush era, reflecting the hope of finding fortune abroad. The term carries a nostalgic weight, often associated with stories of overseas Chinese sending remittances home to build houses or support their families. It is rarely used for modern immigrants, as it specifically evokes the historical experience of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
His grandfather was a Gold Mountain guest who made a lot of money and came back.
Related words
Common phrases
Gold Mountain (referring to North America)
to return to China
Common mistake
Do not use this term for any Chinese person living in America today, as it sounds archaic and specifically implies the historical context of the labor migration era.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
