Editing Chinese classifier (section)

===Variation in usage===
{{multiple image
| align = right
| image1 =  Ma Lin 010.jpg 
| width1 =  100 
| alt1 =  Chinese ink painting depicting a man sitting under a tree 
| caption1 = A painting may be referred to with the classifiers {{lang|zh|张}}&nbsp;({{lang|zh-Hant-TW|2=張}})&nbsp;{{Transliteration|zh|zhāng}} and {{lang|zh|幅}}&nbsp;{{Transliteration|zh|fú}}; both phrases have the same meaning, but convey different stylistic effects.<ref name=Zhang53>{{Harvnb|Zhang|2007|p=53}}</ref>
| image2 =  Chromatic Television Center, CCTV, Beijing.jpg 
| width2 =  155 
| alt2 =  Photo of a tower with over 20 stories.
| caption2 =  Depending on the classifier used, the noun {{lang|zh|楼}}&nbsp;{{Transliteration|zh|lóu}} could be used to refer to either this building, as in: {{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=1|一 {{uline|座}} 楼|yí {{uline|zuò}} lóu|"one building"}} or the floors of the building, as in: {{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=1|二十 {{uline|层}} 楼|èrshí {{uline|céng}} lóu|"twenty floors"<ref name=Zhang52>{{Harvnb|Zhang|2007|p=52}}</ref>}}
}}
It is not the case that every noun is only associated with one classifier. Across dialects and speakers there is great variability in the way classifiers are used for the same words, and speakers often do not agree which classifier is best.<ref name=TaiTaiWangErbaugh>{{Harvnb|Tai|1994}}; {{Harvnb|Erbaugh|2000|pp=34–35}}</ref> For example, for cars some people use {{lang|zh|部}}&nbsp;{{Transliteration|zh|bù}}, others use {{lang|zh|台}}&nbsp;{{Transliteration|zh|tái}}, and still others use {{lang|zh|辆}}&nbsp;({{lang|zh-Hant-TW|2=輛}})&nbsp;{{Transliteration|zh|liàng}}; [[Standard Cantonese|Cantonese]] uses {{lang|zh|架}}&nbsp;{{Transliteration|yue|gaa3}}. Even within a single dialect or a single speaker, the same noun may take different measure words depending on the style in which the person is speaking, or on different nuances the person wants to convey (for instance, measure words can reflect the speaker's judgment of or opinion about the object<ref name=He237>{{Harvnb|He|2001|p=237}}</ref>). An example of this is the word for person, {{lang|zh|人}}&nbsp;{{Transliteration|zh|rén}}, which uses the measure word {{lang|zh|个}}&nbsp;({{lang|zh-Hant-TW|2=個}})&nbsp;{{Transliteration|zh|gè}} normally, but uses the measure {{lang|zh|口}}&nbsp;{{Transliteration|zh|kǒu}} when counting number of people in a household, {{lang|zh|位}}&nbsp;{{Transliteration|zh|wèi}} when being particularly polite or honorific, and {{lang|zh|名}}&nbsp;{{Transliteration|zh|míng}} in formal written contexts;<ref name=FangixZhang53-4>{{Harvnb|Fang|Connelly|2008|p=ix}}; {{Harvnb|Zhang|2007|pp=53–54}}</ref> likewise, a group of people may be referred to by massifiers:

{{columns-start}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|群}} 人|yì {{uline|qún}} rén|'a {{uline|group}} of people'}}
{{column}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|帮}} 人|yì {{uline|bāng}} rén|'a {{uline|gang/crowd}} of people'}}
{{columns-end}}

The first is neutral, whereas the second implies that the people are unruly or otherwise being judged poorly.<ref name=He242>{{Harvnb|He|2001|p=242}}</ref>

Some count-classifiers may also be used with nouns that they are not normally related to, for metaphorical effect, as in:

{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|一 {{uline|堆}} 烦恼|yì {{uline|duī}} fánnǎo|'a {{uline|pile}} of worries/troubles'<ref name=Shie76/>}}

Finally, a single word may have multiple count-classifiers that convey different meanings altogether—in fact, the choice of a classifier can even influence the meaning of a noun. By way of illustration:<ref name=Zhang52>{{Harvnb|Zhang|2007|p=52}}</ref>

{{columns-start}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|三 {{uline|节}} 课|sān {{uline|jié}} kè|'three class periods' (as in "I have three classes today"}}
{{column}}
{{fs interlinear|lang=zh|indent=2|三 {{uline|门}} 课|sān {{uline|mén}} kè|'three courses' (as in "I signed up for three courses this semester")}}
{{columns-end}}