Editing Chinese classifier (section)

===Count-classifiers and mass-classifiers===
{{Quote box | quote=A '''classifier''' categorizes a class of nouns by picking out some [[Salience (semiotics)|salient]] perceptual properties...which are permanently associated with entities named by the class of nouns; a '''measure word''' does not categorize but denotes the quantity of the entity named by a noun. | source = — {{Harvtxt|Tai|1994|p=2}}, emphasis added | align=right | width=25% | bgcolor=#FFFFE0  | salign=right}}

Within the set of nominal classifiers, linguists generally draw a distinction between "count-classifiers" and "mass-classifiers". True ''count-classifiers''<ref group=note>Count-classifiers have also been called "individual classifiers", {{Harv|Chao|1968|p=509}}, "qualifying classifiers" ({{Harvnb|Zhang|2007|p=45}}; {{Harvnb|Hu|1993|p=10}}), and just "classifiers" {{Harv|Cheng|Sybesma|1998|p=3}}.</ref> are used for naming or counting a single [[count noun]],<ref name=Zhang44/> and have no direct translation in English; for example:

{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|本}} 书|yì {{uline|běn}} shū|one {{uline|CL}} book|"one book" or "a book"<ref name=Erbaugh404>{{Harvnb|Erbaugh|1986|p=404}}</ref>}}

Furthermore, count-classifiers cannot be used with [[mass noun]]s: just as an English speaker cannot ordinarily say *"five muds", a Chinese speaker cannot say

{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|* 五 {{uline|个}} 泥|{} wǔ {{uline|ge}} nì|{} five {{uline|CL}} mud|}}

For such mass nouns, one must use ''mass-classifiers''.<ref name=Zhang44/><ref group=note>Mass-classifiers have also been called "measure words", "massifiers" {{Harv|Cheng|Sybesma|1998|p=3}}, "non-individual classifiers" {{Harv|Chao|1968|p=509}}, and "quantifying classifiers" ({{Harvnb|Zhang|2007|p=45}}; {{Harvnb|Hu|1993|p=10}}). The term "mass-classifier" is used in this article to avoid ambiguous usage of the term "measure word", which is often used in everyday speech to refer to both count-classifiers and mass-classifiers, even though in technical usage it only means mass-classifiers {{Harv|Li|2000|p=1116}}.</ref>

Mass-classifiers (true [[measure word]]s) do not pick out inherent properties of an individual noun like count-classifiers do; rather, they lump nouns into countable units. Thus, mass-classifiers can generally be used with multiple types of nouns; for example, while the mass-classifier {{lang|zh|盒}}&nbsp;({{Transliteration|zh|hé}}, box) can be used to count boxes of lightbulbs or of books

{{columns-start}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|盒}} 灯泡|yì {{uline|hé}} dēngpào|"one {{uline|box}} of lightbulbs"}}
{{column}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|盒}} 教材|yì {{uline|hé}} jiàocái|"one {{uline|box}} of textbooks"}}
{{columns-end}}

each of these nouns must use a different count-classifier when being counted by itself.

{{columns-start}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|盏}} 灯泡|yì {{uline|zhǎn}} dēngpào|"one lightbulb"}}
{{column}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|本}} 教材|yì {{uline|běn}} jiàocái|"one textbook"}}
{{columns-end}}

While count-classifiers have no direct English translation, mass-classifiers often do:

{{columns-start}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|个}} 人|yí {{uline|ge}} rén|one {{uline|CL}} person|"one person" or "a person"}}
{{column}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|群}} 人|yì {{uline|qún}} rén|one {{uline|crowd}} person|"a crowd of people"}}
{{columns-end}}

All languages, including English, have mass-classifiers, but count-classifiers are unique to certain "classifier languages", and are not a part of English grammar apart from a few exceptional cases such as head of livestock.<ref name=Tai3Allan285-6/>

Within the range of mass-classifiers, authors have proposed subdivisions based on the manner in which a mass-classifier organizes the noun into countable units. One of these is ''measurement units'' (also called "standard measures"),<ref name=Ahrensn3>{{Harvnb|Ahrens|1994|p=239, note 3}}</ref> which all languages must have in order to measure items; this category includes units such as kilometers, liters, or pounds<ref name=LiThomp105Zhang44Erbaughn5>{{Harvnb|Li|Thompson|1981|p=105}}; {{Harvnb|Zhang|2007|p=44}}; {{Harvnb|Erbaugh|1986|p=118, note 5}}</ref> (see [[List of Chinese classifiers#Measurement units|list]]). Like other classifiers, these can also stand without a noun.<ref name=LiThomp105-7>{{Harvnb|Li|Thompson|1981|pp=105–107}}</ref> Units of currency behave similarly.

{| {{table}}
!
! with noun
! without noun
|-
! measurement units
| {{fs interlinear|lang=zh|三 {{uline|磅}} 肉|sān {{uline|bàng}} ròu|"three {{uline|pounds}} of meat"}}
| {{fs interlinear|lang=zh|三 {{uline|磅}}|sān {{uline|bàng}}|"three {{uline|pounds}}"}}
<!--
| {{fs interlinear|lang=zh|* 三 {{uline|个}} {{uline|磅}}|{} sān {{uline|ge}} {{uline|bàng}}|}}
-->
|-
! units of currency
| {{fs interlinear|lang=zh|十 {{uline|元}} 人民币|shí {{uline|yuán}} rénmínbì|"ten {{uline|units}} of [[renminbi]]"}}
| {{fs interlinear|lang=zh|十 {{uline|元}}|shí {{uline|yuán}}|"ten {{uline|[[Chinese yuan|yuan]]}}"}}
|}

Other proposed types of mass-classifiers include
* "collective"<ref name=Erbaughn5Hu9>{{Harvnb|Erbaugh|1986|p=118, note 5}}; {{Harvnb|Hu|1993|p=9}}</ref><ref group=note>Also called "aggregate" {{Harv|Li|Thompson|1981|pp=107–109}} or "group" {{Harv|Ahrens|1994|p=239, note 3}} measures.</ref> mass-classifiers, which group things less precisely
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=4|一 {{uline|群}} 人|yì {{uline|qún}} rén|"a {{uline|crowd}} of people"}}
* "container"<ref name=Erbaughn5>{{Harvnb|Erbaugh|1986|p=118, note 5}}; {{Harvnb|Li|Thompson|1981|pp=107–109}}</ref> mass-classifiers which group things by containers they come in
{{columns-start}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=4|一 {{uline|碗}} 粥|yì {{uline|wǎn}} zhōu|"a {{uline|bowl}} of porridge"}}
{{column}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|包}} 糖|yì {{uline|bāo}} táng|"a {{uline|bag}} of sugar"}}
{{columns-end}}

The difference between count-classifiers and mass-classifiers can be described as one of quantifying versus categorizing: in other words, mass-classifiers ''create'' a unit by which to measure something (i.e. boxes, groups, chunks, pieces, etc.), whereas count-classifiers simply ''name'' an existing item.<ref name=ChengSybesma3Tai2>{{Harvnb|Cheng|Sybesma|1998|p=3}}; {{Harvnb|Tai|1994|p=2}}</ref> Most words can appear with both count-classifiers and mass-classifiers; for example, pizza can be described both using a count-classifier and using a mass-classifier.

{{columns-start}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|张}} 比萨|yì {{uline|zhāng}} bǐsà|"one pizza", literally "one {{uline|pie}} of pizza"}}
{{column}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|块}} 比萨|yí {{uline|kuài}} bǐsà|"one {{uline|piece}} of pizza"}}
{{columns-end}}

In addition to these semantic differences, there are differences in the grammatical behaviors of count-classifiers and mass-classifiers;<ref name=WangChengSybesma>{{Harvnb|Wang|1994|pp=27–36}}; {{Harvnb|Cheng|Sybesma|1998}}</ref> for example, mass-classifiers may be modified by a small set of adjectives, as in:

{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 大 {{uline|群}} 人|yí dà {{uline|qún}} rén|"a big {{uline|crowd}} of people"}}

Whereas count-classifiers usually may not. For example, this is never said:

{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|* 一 大 {{uline|个}} 人|{} yí dà {{uline|ge}} rén|}}

Instead the adjective must modify the noun:<ref name=ChengSybesma1998-3-5>{{Harvnb|Cheng|Sybesma|1998|pp=3–5}}</ref>

{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|个}} 大 人|yí {{uline|ge}} dà rén|"a big person"}}

Another difference is that count-classifiers may often be replaced by a "general" classifier {{lang|zh|个}} ({{lang|zh|個}}), ''gè'' with no apparent change in meaning, whereas mass-classifiers may not.<ref name=Wang29-30>{{Harvnb|Wang|1994|pp=29–30}}</ref> Syntacticians [[Lisa Cheng (linguist)|Lisa Cheng]] and Rint Sybesma propose that count-classifiers and mass-classifiers have different underlying syntactic structures, with count-classifiers forming "classifier phrases",<ref group=note>"Classifier phrases" are similar to [[noun phrase]]s, but with a classifier rather than a noun as the [[head (linguistics)|head]] {{Harv|Cheng|Sybesma|1998|pp=16–17}}.</ref> and mass-classifiers being a sort of [[relative clause]] that only ''looks'' like a classifier phrase.<ref name=ChengSybesma>{{Harvnb|Cheng|Sybesma|1998}}</ref> The distinction between count-classifiers and mass-classifiers is often unclear, however, and other linguists have suggested that count-classifiers and mass-classifiers may not be fundamentally different. They posit that "count-classifier" and "mass-classifier" are the extremes of a continuum, with most classifiers falling somewhere in between.<ref name=Ahrensn5Wang>{{Harvnb|Ahrens|1994|p=239, note 5}}; {{Harvnb|Wang|1994|pp=26–27, 37–48}}</ref>