 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 . Most words can appear with both count @-@ classifiers and mass @-@ classifiers ; for example , pizza can be described as both <unk> ( yì zhāng <unk> , " one pizza " , literally " one pie of pizza " ) , using a count @-@ classifier , and as <unk> ( yí <unk> <unk> , " one piece of pizza " ) , using a mass @-@ classifier . In addition to these semantic differences , there are differences in the grammatical behaviors of count @-@ classifiers and mass @-@ classifiers ; for example , mass @-@ classifiers may be modified by a small set of adjectives ( as in <unk> yí dà qún rén , " a big crowd of people " ) , whereas count @-@ classifiers usually may not ( for example , * <unk> yí dà ge rén is never said for " a big person " ; instead the adjective must modify the noun : <unk> yí ge dà rén ) . Another difference is that count @-@ classifiers may often be replaced by a " general " classifier 个 ( 個 ) , gè with no apparent change in meaning , whereas mass @-@ classifiers may not . <unk> Lisa Cheng and <unk> <unk> propose that count @-@ classifiers and mass @-@ classifiers have different underlying syntactic structures , with count @-@ classifiers forming " classifier phrases " , and mass @-@ classifiers being a sort of relative clause that only looks like a classifier phrase . 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 . 
