According to Garry Trompf, the word "Baijini" itself is said to have been derived from a Makassarese root with the meaning "women". Joseph Needham wondered if the word Baijini itself might not have been derived from Chinese bái rén (白人, "white people" (i.e., those with lighter skin than the Australian natives), běirén (北人, "northern people"), or even běijīngrén (北京人, "people from Beijing").
