The Syntax, Semantics and Pragmatics of “Numeral + cì” as Adverbials in Modern Chinese

Abstract

This study investigates the preverbal use of “numeral + cì” in Modern Chinese, which diverges from canonical verbal classifier constructions. When used adverbially, cì does not encode quantificational focus but conveys a subjectively large quantity, with a strong tendency to occur in realis contexts. These semantic and pragmatic features are examined in terms of information structure, the generic nature of cì, and an asymmetry in communicative plausibility: expressions of subjective largeness are more easily accepted than those of smallness, making the adverbial position particularly compatible with interpretations involving speaker-oriented quantity emphasis.