Editing Chinese language (section)

=== Grouping ===
[[File:Map of sinitic languages cropped-en.svg|upright=1.1|thumb|right|Range of dialect groups in [[China proper]] and Taiwan according to the ''Language Atlas of China''{{sfnp|Wurm|Li|Baumann|Lee|1987}}]]

Local varieties of Chinese are conventionally classified into seven dialect groups, largely based on the different evolution of [[Middle Chinese]] voiced initials:{{sfnp|Norman|1988|p=181}}{{sfnp|Kurpaska|2010|pp=53–55}}
* [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]], including [[Standard Chinese]], the [[Beijing dialect]], [[Sichuanese Mandarin|Sichuanese]], and also the [[Dungan language]] spoken in [[Central Asia]]
* [[Wu Chinese|Wu]], including [[Shanghainese]], [[Suzhounese]], and [[Wenzhounese]]
* [[Gan Chinese|Gan]]
* [[Xiang Chinese|Xiang]]
* [[Min Chinese|Min]], including [[Fuzhounese]], [[Hainanese]], [[Hokkien]] and [[Teochew dialect|Teochew]]
* [[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]]
* [[Yue Chinese|Yue]], including Cantonese and [[Taishanese]]
{{pie chart
| caption = Proportions of first-language speakers{{sfnp|Chinese Academy of Social Sciences|2012|pp=3, 125}}
| label1 = [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] | color1 = #ac8761 | value1 = 65.7 <!-- 798.585 million -->
| label2 = [[Min Chinese|Min]] | color2 = #b1bab6 | value2 = 6.2 <!-- 75 million -->
| label3 = [[Wu Chinese|Wu]] | color3 = #c8c8a8 | value3 = 6.1 <!-- 73.79 million -->
| label4 = [[Yue Chinese|Yue]] | color4 = #bf6e7b | value4 = 5.6 <!-- 68 million -->
| label5 = [[Jin Chinese|Jin]] | color5 = #96642c | value5 = 5.2 <!-- 63.05 million -->
| label6 = [[Gan Chinese|Gan]] | color6 = #fbd98d | value6 = 3.9 <!-- 48 million -->
| label7 = [[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]] | color7 = #eeb36a | value7 = 3.5 <!-- 42.2 million -->
| label8 = [[Xiang Chinese|Xiang]] | color8 = #a5ae87 | value8 = 3.0 <!-- 36.37 million -->
| label9 = [[Huizhou Chinese|Huizhou]] | color9 = #9b987f | value9 = 0.3 <!-- 3.3 million -->
| label10 = [[Pinghua]], others | color10 = #946565 | value10 = 0.6 <!-- 7.78 million -->
| others = yes
}}
The classification of [[Li Rong (linguist)|Li Rong]], which is used in the ''[[Language Atlas of China]]'' (1987), distinguishes three further groups:{{sfnp|Wurm|Li|Baumann|Lee|1987}}{{sfnp|Kurpaska|2010|pp=55–56}}
* [[Jin Chinese|Jin]], previously included in Mandarin.
* [[Huizhou Chinese|Huizhou]], previously included in Wu.
* [[Pinghua]], previously included in Yue.

Some varieties remain unclassified, including the [[Danzhou dialect]] on [[Hainan]], [[Waxianghua]] spoken in western [[Hunan]], and [[Shaozhou Tuhua]] spoken in northern [[Guangdong]].{{sfnp|Kurpaska|2010|pp=72–73}}