Flu Manchu

English

Etymology

Pun on flu and Fu Manchu.

Noun

Flu Manchu (uncountable)

  1. (humorous, offensive) An epidemic of influenza or other illness associated with China or Asia.
    • 1957 August 27, Ardie Rettop, “Who’s Afraid?”, in Daily News, New York, page 25:
      Hysteria is mounting about this Asiatic flu from far-off places. If that's the way it is to be, let’s go all the way and call it Flu Manchu.
    • 1960 December 26, Elliot Chaze, “March of Mad Fads”, in Life‎, page 110:
      Away back in 1936, the year that Life began, the nation’s bloodstream flowed free of penicillin, and neither the virus, the Flu Manchu nor the tranquilizing pill were known to the average American.
    • 2020, Antonio Lillo, quoting anonymous Twitter users, “COVID-19, the beer flu; or, the disease of many names”, in Lebende Sprachen, volume 65, →DOI:
      In a similar vein, Sax Rohmer’s fiendish mastermind Dr Fu Manchu, an appallingly racist caricature of the “evil Chinaman”, makes his appearance not only in Fu Manchu flu and Fu Manchu Virus, but also, as might be expected, in Flu Manchu (sometimes spelled flu man choo) […]
      I would be quaffing a few ales in Artists Rifles club at Bisley right about now and enjoying all things firestick if it weren’t for those meddling Chinese and the flu man choo. (23rd May; uk) | However, there is high mortality with the Flu Manchu. (26th February; us)
    • 2021 March 18, Eric Hananoki, quoting Andrew Klavan, “Numerous right-wing media figures and outlets have contributed to anti-Asian hate by celebrating racist “kung flu” term”, in Media Matters for America‎:
      Like Knowles, Andrew Klavan is another host for The Daily Wire who has referred to the coronavirus as “the kung flu.” On the July 22, 2020, edition of his show, he began by stating: “Senators continue to debate a new relief bill to deal with fallout from the Chinese flu, or wu flu, or kung flu, or flu manchu, or Chinese act of bacteriological warfare, or as they call it in Hollywood, ‘Thank you for the COVID-19, Mr. Producer, sir.’”

Usage notes

The label has been applied to epidemics of various illnesses, including the 1957–1958 influenza pandemic, which originated in southern China, and the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by a virus identified in Wuhan, China, in 2019.

Use may be proscribed or considered offensive.

See also
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