Studying classifiers, ran into a problem

[夏天赐]

I've been trying to do some work on my classifiers (量词 liàngcí). During the course of that study I've gotten stumped and a bit obsessed with the use of 回 (huí). Baidu offers five possible usages for 回 as a classifier and I'm struggling with the first.

Before anyone says anything, yes, I know this is a highly unusual and probably archaic usage that I will never ever use, but I just want to understand.

Baidu stipulates that 回 may be used as a classifier for 次 (cì) or "times…for the behavior of the action" (次…用于行为、动作。) and offers two examples. The second example, "去过好几回", appears fairly self-evident in terms of application and usage, as with ＂我去过成都好几回。＂— or, "I have been to Chengdu several times." This however, does not illustrate for me (though perhaps I'm just being a bit thick) the meaning of "behavior of the action". The first example, ＂一日走千回＂I find truly mystifying. It has a chéngyǔ feel to it, though I can find no exact match for it in my research. I read it, "Yī rì zǒu qiān huí" or literally, "One day go thousand times". I've found rough chéngyǔ matches such as: 一日千里 (yīrìqiānlǐ), or "one day, a thousand miles" which speaks to rapid progress; and, 千回百折 (qiānhuíbǎizhé), implying continuos revolution; but I'm just not getting it. Also, for liàngcí, 回 in this context (whatever it is) doesn't really follow the 一个人 or 三只鸟 structure I've come to expect from classifiers. It doesn't follow the numeral-classifier-object structure.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

[imron]

This however, does not illustrate for me (though perhaps I'm just being a bit thick) the meaning of "behavior of the action"

Where in the definition does it say it conveys the meaning of "behaviour of the action"

The Baidu page says： 次。用于行为、动作

Which I read as: [equivalent to] Times. Used for behaviour and actions.

[creamyhorror]

http://www.shiciming...ist/101881.html

年代:宋 作者: 辛弃疾

《水调歌头 盟鸥》

带湖吾甚爱，千丈翠奁开。

先生杖履无事，一日走千回。

凡我同盟鸥鸟，今日既盟之后，来往莫相猜。

白鹤在何处？尝试与偕来。

破青萍，排翠藻，立苍苔。

窥鱼笑汝痴计，不解举吾杯。

废沼荒丘畴昔，明月清风此夜，人世几欢哀？

东岸绿荫少，杨柳更须栽。

【注释】：

放眼千丈宽阔的湖水，宛如打开翠绿色的镜匣一样，一片晶莹清澈。面对如此美景，难怪“先生杖屦无事，一日走千回 ”了 。这是用夸张写法来说明“甚爱”程度，句格同杜诗“一日上树能千回 ”：闲居无事，拄杖纳屦，徜徉湖畔，竟一日而千回。

That's the source. The 先生 would keep walking there at his leisure, and visit the place a thousand times in a day (hyperbolically speaking).

Generally speaking, I do think 回 has a more poetic connotation than 次, e.g. in the phrase "再陪你走一回".

[夏天赐]

imron, ah, I see that you are right! I should have spent more time looking at my translation of the classifier's description! That certainly makes more sense. Thanks for that. So then, do you think, "I have been to Chengdu several times." exemplifies an 'action', or a 'behavior'? What's the difference from the Chinese perspective?

[夏天赐]

creamyhorror, imron,

Thanks both of you for your feedback. Very useful!

Would the both of you then agree with the following:

回(huí) "times"

Times—A literary or poetic synonym for 次(cì) "times", used to classify behaviours and actions.

Example: 

再陪你走一回。

Zài péi nǐ zǒu yī huí.

Go with you one more time.

一日走千回。

Yī rì zǒu qiān huí.

Visit (a place) a thousand times in a day. (hyperbolically speaking)

去过好几回。

Qùguò hǎojǐ huí.

Have been to (a place) several times.

[edelweis]

回 in this context (whatever it is) doesn't really follow the 一个人 or 三只鸟 structure I've come to expect from classifiers. It doesn't follow the numeral-classifier-object structure.

Even with classifiers that apply to nouns, the object is often omitted when it is obvious, for instance

三块（钱）

他买了一辆汽车，我也要买一辆（汽车）

With classifiers that apply to actions, such as 次 and 回, the action has already been described by the previous verb, there's no need to add anything after the classifier (and I don't know what you could add anyway...)

BTW I don't get how you can understand 去过好几回 and not 一日走千回 - they have the same structure, verb + numeral + classifier. Just replace 回 with 次 to get beginner sentences. Same principle.

[夏天赐]

edelweis,

Thanks. That was not clear to me, though it appears obvious now.

Yes, they do appear to have a similar structure, however, 一日走千回 seemed more abstract to me at the time. What can I say? I just didn't get it. Otherwise, I would not have asked.

Many thanks.

[imron]

an 'action', or a 'behavior'? What's the difference from the Chinese perspective?

Actually, I think it's best not to think about it as 'action' and 'behaviour', but rather '动作' and ‘行为’.