有人问：有的语法书上说 He is a Chinese 或 He is a Japanese 是不地道的英语，应说 He is Chinese 或 He is Japanese。对吗？

这两种说法都对。意指所属国籍时，应说 He is Chinese （或 Japanese）。如意指所属民族血统，则应说 He is a Chinese （或 a Japanese）。实例如：

Nan Wenxiong, a Chinese now working as a doctor in Japan, found himself in the news when he landed at Beijing Airport on Friday... The 67-year-old doctor, now a Japanese citizen, runs a private clinic in Gumma Prefecture.

从这个句子中不难看出 a Chinese 显然指“一个具有中国血统的但已入了日本籍的人”。