kongsi

Definition

A benevolent organization of popular origin found among overseas Chinese communities for individuals with the same surname.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hokkien 公司 (kong-si, “company”). See also Hokkien 公班衙 (kong-pan-gêe / kong-pan-gê), English British East India Company, Dutch Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (“Dutch East India Company”, literally “United East India Company”).

Example Sentences

• "By 1970, for instance, the state authorities considered these kongsi to be unfit and unhygienic for living, and they were ordered to be dismantled."
• "The term kongsi loosely referred to any association of the Chinese, ranging from a business partnership to governments in West Borneo, secret societies and clan associations."
• "A kongsi is a clan house, a building that’s partly a temple and partly a meeting hall for Chinese of the same clan or surname."