Comparatively recent developments in crewed spaceflight made by China have led to the rise of the term taikonaut (from the Mandarin "tàikōng" (), meaning "space"), although its use is somewhat informal and its origin is unclear.
kəmpˈæɹətˌɪvli ɹˈiːsənt dɪvˈɛləpmənts ɪn kɹˈuːd spˈeɪsflaɪt mˌeɪd baɪ tʃˈaɪnə hæv lˈɛd tə ðə ɹˈaɪz ʌvðə tˈɜːm tˈeɪkənˌɔːt fɹʌmðə mˈændɚɹˌɪn "tˈæɪkˌɑːŋ", mˈiːnɪŋ "spˈeɪs", ɔːlðˈoʊ ɪts jˈuːs ɪz sˈʌmwʌt ɪnfˈɔːɹməl ænd ɪts ˈɔːɹɪdʒˌɪn ɪz ʌŋklˈɪɹ.