| n. | laowai | 老外 | 老外 |
[lǎo wài]
= one of several Chinese words for foreigner. Informal.
Formal: 外国人
etymology:
composed of the characters 老 (old) + 外 (foreign)
Note: some people consider it a casual and neutral word, others view it as a pejorative word.
“laowai” and “tingbudong”, picture by Calvin
picture by John