Eric Liu : Words are expressions of power and identity , and even punctuation matters . Actually , my immigrant dad taught me this . Liu : As I explain in my new book , I call myself `` Chinese American '' -- without a hyphen . He says the hyphenated `` Chinese-American '' signifies a transaction between two parties . Comment: Similarly , `` ABC , '' or American-born Chinese , is also inadequate in its identity label .
Eric Liu : Words are expressions of power and identity , and even punctuation matters . Liu : As I explain in my new book , I call myself `` Chinese American '' -- without a hyphen . He says the hyphenated `` Chinese-American '' signifies a transaction between two parties . Comment: Similarly , `` ABC , '' or American-born Chinese , is also inadequate in its identity label .