"two Chinese"

Question

Hi, Can I say "Two Chinese were killed in the crash?"Why I ask this question is because I'm not sure if I can use numbers in front of words like "Chinese".  Thank you very much!

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Yes, it's fine. 34 Americans were killed in Iraq this month.

Cool Breeze · Answer

ViceidolCan I say "Two Chinese were killed in the crash?"

Hi Viceidol

I agree with Mister Micawber. I would just like to mention that originally Chinese is an adjective (Chinese literature, Chinese food) and in the old days adjectives were substantivized to refer to the whole nation by placing the before them:

The Chinese eat a lot of rice.
The French drink a lot of wine.
The English watch American television programs.

Yet it was, and still is, impossible to say: two French, three English, five Spanish etc. There are special nouns for that purpose: two Frenchmen, three Englishmen (or: three English people, five Spaniards. There is a similar noun to refer to a Chinese person: a Chinaman. However, as far as I know, it is not much used these days and may perhaps even sound pejorative to some in some areas or countries where English is spoken. So it has become accepted usage to say: three Chinese. This applies to other national adjectives ending in ese as well: Vietnamese, Surinamese and Japanese, for example.

To put the before an adjective to form a noun is normal in English. The adjective need not denote a nation:

The rich want to keep their money.

CB

Viceidol · Answer

Thanks, CB. It's a very imformative answer!<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

"two Chinese"

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