"The Chinese" or "Chinese people"? Confused about wording!
October 7, 2014 11:39 AM Subscribe
When referring to Chinese people, what is the correct wording to use? I'm writing a paper, and noticed a couple of times that I wrote "In this study, the Chinese..." which somehow rubbed me the wrong way (although I'm not sure why, maybe it's the definite article?!). So what should I write, "the Chinese," "Chinese people," or something else entirely?
Best answer: I would use "Chinese" as an adjective and follow it with a noun, but it doesn't always have to be "people." "In this study, the Chinese participants..." "In this study, the Chinese students who were studied..." "In this study, the Chinese researchers..." Because I suspect that you're probably not actually talking about all Chinese people, and if you are, then you probably need to differentiate between Chinese citizens, people who are ethnically Chinese, etc.
posted by jaguar at 11:44 AM on October 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by jaguar at 11:44 AM on October 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
"The Chinese" are people who live in China. "Chinese people" are ethnically Chinese, regardless of where they live.
posted by mkultra at 11:46 AM on October 7, 2014 [9 favorites]
posted by mkultra at 11:46 AM on October 7, 2014 [9 favorites]
It's the definite article, yes. Anything "-ese" can look/sound diminutive to our ears, unlike, for example, "the Irish."
Just write around it. "The Chinese participants in the study said that Chinese people like going to Chinese restaurants where they might speak with a waiter who is Chinese."
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:58 AM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
Just write around it. "The Chinese participants in the study said that Chinese people like going to Chinese restaurants where they might speak with a waiter who is Chinese."
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:58 AM on October 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
I think it would depend on whether ethnicity is relevant. Everyone with Chinese citizenship is "Chinese", but not everyone is Han. There are also Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongolians, etc.
posted by jingzuo at 12:02 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by jingzuo at 12:02 PM on October 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
It's pretty PC-nitpicking, but there's a line of thought that you should always emphasize the person over the one aspect of their identity that you're talking about--so "The Chinese people..." is more respectful than "The Chinese" because their country of origin is not the only thing that defines them (like Whites vs. white people). You may also be reacting to the sense that when you say "The Chinese" you are often engaging in a huge generalization of characteristics (unless you are talking about laws that do apply to everyone in a country) that actually vary by person (e.g., when people say "Women always want Z.", which is never universally true.) So your might lessen your generalizations by saying "typically", "traditionally", "on average", or whatever.
posted by parkerjackson at 12:06 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by parkerjackson at 12:06 PM on October 7, 2014
Do you mean the poeple of China? Or the ethnic Hans?
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:24 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:24 PM on October 7, 2014
It depends what you're talking about.
If you mean "citizens of the People's Republic Of China", "the Chinese" is fine, just as "the Americans" would be fine.
If you mean people of Chinese ethnic origin, you should say that or a similar variation ("Chinese-Americans", "people of Chinese descent", etc).
I agree that "Chinese people" sounds better in an abstract sense, but it may not flow well in every use. And there's nothing wrong with "the Chinese" as long as you're using the term correctly.
posted by Sara C. at 12:37 PM on October 7, 2014
If you mean "citizens of the People's Republic Of China", "the Chinese" is fine, just as "the Americans" would be fine.
If you mean people of Chinese ethnic origin, you should say that or a similar variation ("Chinese-Americans", "people of Chinese descent", etc).
I agree that "Chinese people" sounds better in an abstract sense, but it may not flow well in every use. And there's nothing wrong with "the Chinese" as long as you're using the term correctly.
posted by Sara C. at 12:37 PM on October 7, 2014
The time that I use "The Chinese" construction most (or used to, when I wrote about this more), was when referring to statements by their government on behalf of their citizens, and even then it's usually a shorthand for a adjective-noun phrase, e.g. "The Chinese delegation." So, "The Chinese respond that their carbon limits are aggressive compared to Korea's" or something like that would be fine.
posted by klangklangston at 12:51 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by klangklangston at 12:51 PM on October 7, 2014
even then it's usually a shorthand for a adjective-noun phrase
My suspicion is that "the Chinese" essentially passes as a synecdoche. Not very specific, but not without its uses.
posted by mr. digits at 1:08 PM on October 7, 2014
My suspicion is that "the Chinese" essentially passes as a synecdoche. Not very specific, but not without its uses.
posted by mr. digits at 1:08 PM on October 7, 2014
Further to a remark up thread....I'd suggest never ever ever including Tibetans if you are referring to Chinese people. They are not nor have ever been Chinese in nationality nor ethnicity. To do so would be both offensive and factually incorrect.
posted by taff at 1:21 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by taff at 1:21 PM on October 7, 2014
Just to point out another aspect, I have a problem with the extremely common usage "the Chinese Patent Office." How can a government office, or a physical building, have an ethnicity, or a nationality for that matter?
Its official name is something like "the Patent Office of the PRC," which parallels the name "the US Patent Office" over here (that is, a name having no ethnic suggestion). But universally, people call it "the Chinese Patent Office."
posted by JimN2TAW at 3:20 PM on October 7, 2014
Its official name is something like "the Patent Office of the PRC," which parallels the name "the US Patent Office" over here (that is, a name having no ethnic suggestion). But universally, people call it "the Chinese Patent Office."
posted by JimN2TAW at 3:20 PM on October 7, 2014
I'd suggest never ever ever including Tibetans if you are referring to Chinese people. They are not nor have ever been Chinese in nationality nor ethnicity. To do so would be both offensive and factually incorrect.
Tibet has been a part of the People's Republic of China since 1951.
posted by jingzuo at 4:14 PM on October 7, 2014
Tibet has been a part of the People's Republic of China since 1951.
posted by jingzuo at 4:14 PM on October 7, 2014
This is not undisputed jingzuo. (And not the forum.) It's an invaded country.
OP, just be cautious about who you include and why you're including them. I would always carefully spell out if I meant Han Chinese people, the Chinese government or the people who live in PRC...the Chinese people.
posted by taff at 4:24 PM on October 7, 2014
OP, just be cautious about who you include and why you're including them. I would always carefully spell out if I meant Han Chinese people, the Chinese government or the people who live in PRC...the Chinese people.
posted by taff at 4:24 PM on October 7, 2014
But universally, people call it "the Chinese Patent Office."
I can't see how the parallel constructions "American Patent Office" or "British Patent Office" (perhaps uncapitalized) would be objectionable. In this case the term is not connoting ethnicity but nationality. And yes, if an agency is part of a country's government, what else are you supposed to call it?
As to Tibet, the question of sovereignty is fraught, and there's no better way to put it. Consider your audience carefully.
For the original question, though, I think it's important to be precise, at least on first reference. Depending on how formal your writing needs to be, though, I can imagine that simply stating "the Chinese" on second reference, once the actual subject to which "Chinese" is a modifier has been clarified, would be useful shorthand.
You (OP) may be right about the definite article, though it may depend on what you're trying to say. I would try it with and without to see if it sounds more like a specific statement about these Chinese or a general statement about Chinese generally, which would probably be less warranted.
posted by dhartung at 4:58 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I can't see how the parallel constructions "American Patent Office" or "British Patent Office" (perhaps uncapitalized) would be objectionable. In this case the term is not connoting ethnicity but nationality. And yes, if an agency is part of a country's government, what else are you supposed to call it?
As to Tibet, the question of sovereignty is fraught, and there's no better way to put it. Consider your audience carefully.
For the original question, though, I think it's important to be precise, at least on first reference. Depending on how formal your writing needs to be, though, I can imagine that simply stating "the Chinese" on second reference, once the actual subject to which "Chinese" is a modifier has been clarified, would be useful shorthand.
You (OP) may be right about the definite article, though it may depend on what you're trying to say. I would try it with and without to see if it sounds more like a specific statement about these Chinese or a general statement about Chinese generally, which would probably be less warranted.
posted by dhartung at 4:58 PM on October 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Do you want to consider how the Chinese people refer to themselves, or to simplify translation into Chinese language? Then use "the Chinese people", not "the Chinese". Thus, "Chinese people prefer Chinese food," in Mandarin is: 中国 人 喜欢 中国 菜 . Pronounced: "Zhōngguó rén xǐhuān zhōngguó cài." In wooden translation: "Middle-country person prefers Middle-country food." Zhongguo by itself names the country.
posted by gregoreo at 5:25 PM on October 7, 2014
posted by gregoreo at 5:25 PM on October 7, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mikeh at 11:43 AM on October 7, 2014