Spanish profanity
Chingada is a profane term in the Spanish language. It is the feminine form of the past participle of the verb chingar, roughly equivalent to the English word fuck or rape.
The word has its roots tied to the legend of La Malinche, a 16th century Native American, who helped translate for the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés during his 1519 invasion and conquest of the Aztec Empire; she later bore him at least one mixed race child, Martín Cortés, the first of Mexico's mestizos and the first hijo de la chingada.
Chíngate and related derivatives are equivalent to saying "go fuck yourself"; chinga a tu madre ("go fuck your mother") is arguably the most offensive thing you can say to a Mexican. Because La Malinche is considered by many a traitor to the Mexican race, this verb has been linked also to betrayal and seduction, along with sexual significance. It is for this reason that this verb is considered one of the most vulgar in the Spanish language.
Quotations
Imprecación, propósito, saludo, proyecto de vida, filiación, recuerdo, voz de los desesperados, liberación de los pobres, orden de los poderosos, invitación a la riña y al trabajo, epígrafe del amor, signo del nacimiento, amenaza y burla, verbo testigo, compañero de la fiesta y de la borrachera, espada del valor, trono de la fuerza, colmillo de la marrullería, blasón de la raza, salvavidas de los límites, resumen de la historia: santo y seña de México: tu palabra. — Carlos Fuentes (La muerte de Artemio Cruz)
- ("Curse, goal, greeting, plan for life, affiliation, memory, voice of the desperate, liberation of the poor, order of the powerful, invitation to fight and to work, love's epigraph, birth's mark, threat and gibe, watchword, companion in celebration and inebriation, sword of bravery, throne of strength, sharp fang of cajolery, badge of the race, lifeguard of the limits, summary of history: saint and symbol of Mexico: your word.")
Es una voz mágica. Basta un cambio de tono, una inflexión apenas para que su sentido varíe. Hay tantos matices como entonaciones: tantos significados como sentimientos. — Octavio Paz (El laberinto de la soledad)
- ("It is a magic word. A change of tone, a mere inflection is enough for its meaning to shift. It has as many nuances as intonations: as many meanings as feelings.")