Laowai is the Mandarin pronunciation of 老外 (pinyin: lǎowài, lit. "Very foreign"), an informal term or slang for "foreigner," usually neutral but possibly impolite or loose in some circumstances. Formal and polite Chinese terms for foreigner include wàiguórén (simplified Chinese: 外国人; traditional Chinese: 外國人; literally: "foreigner"), wàibīn (外宾; 外賓; "foreigner guest"), guójì yǒurén 国际友人; 國際友人; "international friend") and wàiguó pengyou (外國朋友; 外国朋友; "foreigner friend").[1] "Laowai" usually does not refer to Chinese living abroad or East Asians who are non-Chinese. The term is typically used to refer to Westerners of European descent, sub-Saharan Africans, Latin Americans, and Middle Easterners.