Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

8 Classifiers

8.1 The structure of phrases involving classifiers

A classifier is a word that occurs between the specifier and/or number and the noun. In Chinese,

a classifier always occurs between a specifier or number and a noun in this order:

specifier + number + classifier + noun

Specifier and/or number + classifier + noun forms a noun phrase.

notes

1 Classifiers are sometimes referred to as ‘measure words.’

2 In english, mass nouns such as ‘coffee,’ ‘rice,’ and ‘sand’ occur with classifiers. In Chinese, all nouns

occur with classifiers when they are preceded by a specifier and/or number.

C 7, 96,

Here are examples of noun phrases with specifiers, numbers, classifiers, and nouns. The clas-

sifier is emphasized in each example. The classifier is often omitted when a Mandarin noun

phrase is translated into English.

Specifier + classifier

+ noun

Number + classifier

+ noun

Specifier + number

+ classifier + noun

这个人 三本书 这两碗饭

這個人 三本書 這兩碗飯

zhège rén sān běn shū zhè liǎng wǎn fàn

this person three books these two bowls of rice

那个学校 三杯咖啡 那三本书

那個學校 那三本書

nàge xuéxiào sān bēi kāfēi nà sān běn shū

that school three cups of coffee those three books

8.2 Choosing the classifier

8.2.1 nouns and associated classifiers

Most nouns are associated with a particular classifier. Classifiers are often not predictable from

the noun so they must be memorized. Some dictionaries indicate the classifier associated with

a noun.