<p>盎格鲁-撒克逊人 is the official transliteration of &quot;Anglo-Saxon&quot; but, like most multisyllabic transliterations from Western languages, it's only used in writing and in specific scholarly contexts.</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>The reason it never caught on in normal discourse is that (again, like most multisyllabic transliterations), the word itself is actually <em>meaningless</em> in Chinese, in the sense that it sounds like a very long nonsensical phrase made up of monosyllabic words used only for their phonetic value, rather than for any semantic value. So it's understandable that a more meaningful synonym is normally preferred.</p>
<p>Which one?</p>
<p>In most contexts, the more natural alternatives will be 美英, 英美 or 美西方. Most often, however, 欧美 or even just 西方(国家) will do the job, because, outside of an intra-European context, there is rarely any point in distinguishing between westerners of Anglo-Saxon ethnicity/descent or otherwise.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-03T22:47:33.340Z
Mostly agree, I'll add that 盎格鲁撒克逊 (abbreviated  盎撒) has recently managed to crept into some online discussions in a limited way. To me, 英美 sounds much more natural than 美英，and 美西方 is mostly used in semi official communications/news, not so much in everyday conversations.
EEQ
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-04T09:45:54.373Z
Thanks for those notes; I agree with all of the above.
Sanchuan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-03T08:14:34.227Z
2022-10-03T08:14:34.227Z
Sanchuan
<blockquote>
<p>歷史學家比德認為<a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%9B%8E%E6%A0%BC%E9%AD%AF-%E6%92%92%E5%85%8B%E9%81%9C%E4%BA%BA" rel="nofollow noreferrer">盎格鲁-撒克逊人</a>是日耳曼人中最強大的三個部族的后裔</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>The historian Bede believes the Anglo-Saxons were descended from the three most powerful tribes of the Germanic peoples</p>
</blockquote>
<p>盎格鲁-撒克逊人 (Anglo-Saxons) is an unfamiliar term to most Chinese. Except for a small number of scholars, few people even know this term in Chinese.</p>
<p>日耳曼民族 (Germanic peoples) on the other hand, is well known by most Chinese</p>
<p>A layman most likely would call &quot;Anglo-Saxons&quot; 西日耳曼人 (West Germanic peoples); more specifically, 不列颠群岛西日耳曼民族 (West Germanic peoples of the British Isles)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-02T23:21:07.750Z
2022-10-02T23:21:07.750Z
Tang Ho
<p>Chinese people are likely to just say 白人 = &quot;white person&quot; or 西方人 = &quot;westerner&quot; or 欧洲人 = &quot;European&quot; or 外国人 = &quot;foreigner&quot;, and not know nor care about this level of nuance.  To illustrate:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/EVkux.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/EVkux.jpg" alt="A Chinese woman, a white European woman, and a black African woman, describing their biological differences." /></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is from my grade-7 geography textbook, where they use the terms 黄种人 = &quot;yellow-race people&quot;, 白种人 = &quot;white-race people&quot;, and 黑种人 = &quot;black-race people&quot;.</p>
<p>You might encounter terms like 盎格鲁撒克逊人 in e.g. a textbook or academic paper, certainly not in everyday parlance.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-04T15:42:09.430Z
Yes but there should be a term distinguishing the Anglo-Saxons (people from the English-speaking countries, especially from the UK and the USA) from the rest white Europeans (French, Germans, Russians etc.).
Konstantinos
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-04T00:06:12.580Z
2022-10-04T00:06:12.580Z
Becky 李蓓
<p>in current situation, I saw most of this term <code>盎格鲁撒克逊人</code> in a context of : making war, stealing money, make chaos all around world.</p>
<p>also called 昂撒人/搅屎棍， equals to a shame/negative/ word.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-09T23:30:10.923Z
2022-10-09T23:30:10.923Z
Siwei
<p>In some Indo-European languages, including Greek, French, Russian etc., but not in English, the term Anglo-Saxons or Anglosaxons is used very often to describe the alliance of the English-speaking countries (the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc., but especially the first two ones) in some geopolitical or geostrategical fields, often with a negative aspect.</p>
<p>I wonder whether the term 盎格鲁撒克逊人 is used in Chinese for the same meaning. An example:</p>
<p>盎格鲁撒克逊人在非洲的影响力正在增长。</p>
<p>Or is there a better term for this? Maybe 美英？美英人？Or something else?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-02T22:08:05.270Z
It is the direct translation by sound from the original word. It is used quite often as a 以英美為主的西方白種人的泛稱.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-03T10:59:35.993Z
Note that "Anglo-Saxon" is a frequent term in [Western discourse](https://aeon.co/essays/the-anglo-saxon-is-not-american-or-british-but-a-french-alter-ego), where "Anglo-Saxon culture" is strongly contrasted with "Latino culture", "Hispanic culture", or even "_la culture latino-française_". This is conflated with the historical Anglo-Saxons (including Jutes and Frisians) _sensu stricto_ who migrated to Britain from the 5th century CE onwards; this latter is what 盎格鲁撒克逊人 refers to.
Michaelyus
<meaning><vocabulary><terminology>
How is the term 盎格鲁撒克逊人 used?
# How is the term 盎格鲁撒克逊人 used?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-10-02)

In some Indo-European languages, including Greek, French, Russian etc., but not in English, the term Anglo-Saxons or Anglosaxons is used very often to describe the alliance of the English-speaking countries (the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc., but especially the first two ones) in some geopolitical or geostrategical fields, often with a negative aspect.

I wonder whether the term 盎格鲁撒克逊人 is used in Chinese for the same meaning. An example:

盎格鲁撒克逊人在非洲的影响力正在增长。

Or is there a better term for this? Maybe 美英？美英人？Or something else?

**Tags:** meaning, vocabulary, terminology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It is the direct translation by sound from the original word. It is used quite often as a 以英美為主的西方白種人的泛稱.  
> **username_2**: Note that "Anglo-Saxon" is a frequent term in [Western discourse](https://aeon.co/essays/the-anglo-saxon-is-not-american-or-british-but-a-french-alter-ego), where "Anglo-Saxon culture" is strongly contrasted with "Latino culture", "Hispanic culture", or even "_la culture latino-française_". This is conflated with the historical Anglo-Saxons (including Jutes and Frisians) _sensu stricto_ who migrated to Britain from the 5th century CE onwards; this latter is what 盎格鲁撒克逊人 refers to.  

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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-10-03. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

盎格鲁-撒克逊人 is the official transliteration of "Anglo-Saxon" but, like most multisyllabic transliterations from Western languages, it's only used in writing and in specific scholarly contexts.

Why?

The reason it never caught on in normal discourse is that (again, like most multisyllabic transliterations), the word itself is actually *meaningless* in Chinese, in the sense that it sounds like a very long nonsensical phrase made up of monosyllabic words used only for their phonetic value, rather than for any semantic value. So it's understandable that a more meaningful synonym is normally preferred.

Which one?

In most contexts, the more natural alternatives will be 美英, 英美 or 美西方. Most often, however, 欧美 or even just 西方(国家) will do the job, because, outside of an intra-European context, there is rarely any point in distinguishing between westerners of Anglo-Saxon ethnicity/descent or otherwise.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Mostly agree, I'll add that 盎格鲁撒克逊 (abbreviated  盎撒) has recently managed to crept into some online discussions in a limited way. To me, 英美 sounds much more natural than 美英，and 美西方 is mostly used in semi official communications/news, not so much in everyday conversations.  
> **username_3**: Thanks for those notes; I agree with all of the above.  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2022-10-02. Score: 1

> 歷史學家比德認為[盎格鲁-撒克逊人](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%9B%8E%E6%A0%BC%E9%AD%AF-%E6%92%92%E5%85%8B%E9%81%9C%E4%BA%BA)是日耳曼人中最強大的三個部族的后裔

> The historian Bede believes the Anglo-Saxons were descended from the three most powerful tribes of the Germanic peoples

盎格鲁-撒克逊人 (Anglo-Saxons) is an unfamiliar term to most Chinese. Except for a small number of scholars, few people even know this term in Chinese.

日耳曼民族 (Germanic peoples) on the other hand, is well known by most Chinese

A layman most likely would call "Anglo-Saxons" 西日耳曼人 (West Germanic peoples); more specifically, 不列颠群岛西日耳曼民族 (West Germanic peoples of the British Isles)


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### Answer by username_6 on 2022-10-04. Score: 0

Chinese people are likely to just say 白人 = "white person" or 西方人 = "westerner" or 欧洲人 = "European" or 外国人 = "foreigner", and not know nor care about this level of nuance. To illustrate:

> [![A Chinese woman, a white European woman, and a black African woman, describing their biological differences.](https://i.sstatic.net/EVkux.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/EVkux.jpg)

This is from my grade-7 geography textbook, where they use the terms 黄种人 = "yellow-race people", 白种人 = "white-race people", and 黑种人 = "black-race people".

You might encounter terms like 盎格鲁撒克逊人 in e.g. a textbook or academic paper, certainly not in everyday parlance.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Yes but there should be a term distinguishing the Anglo-Saxons (people from the English-speaking countries, especially from the UK and the USA) from the rest white Europeans (French, Germans, Russians etc.).  

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### Answer by username_7 on 2022-10-09. Score: -1

in current situation, I saw most of this term `盎格鲁撒克逊人` in a context of : making war, stealing money, make chaos all around world.

also called 昂撒人/搅屎棍， equals to a shame/negative/ word.


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