Tongzhi (term)
| Tongzhi | |||||||||||||
| Chinese | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Literal meaning | "same will" or "same purpose" | ||||||||||||
|
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Tóngzhì |
| Gwoyeu Romatzyh | Torng jyh |
| Wade–Giles | T'ung chih |
| Tongyong Pinyin | Tóngjhì |
Tongzhi (Chinese: 同志; pinyin: tóngzhì) is the Chinese word for "comrade" (the literal meaning of the characters is "same will" or "same purpose"). It has taken on various meanings in various contexts since the 20th century.
The term was introduced into Vernacular Chinese by Sun Yat-sen as a way of describing his followers. Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China, "tongzhi" was used to mean "comrade" in the Communist sense: it was used to address almost everyone, male and female, young and old. In recent years, however, this meaning of the term has fallen out of common usage, except within Chinese Communist Party discourse and among people of older generations.
In contemporary Taiwan and Hong Kong, the term mainly referred to the LGBT people instead of the traditional political usage.
It remains in use in a formal context among political parties in both mainland China and Taiwan. In the Communist Party of China, the labelling of a person as a "comrade" is especially significant for a person who has been denounced or demoted, because it indicates that the party has not completely rejected the person as "one of its own". In Taiwan, it also remains in formal usage in party politics. For example, Frank Hsieh said, after losing the Republic of China presidential election, 2008: "很多同志希望我能夠留到五月二十五日" ("Many comrades hoped that I could stay to May 25").
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