<p>在左边，我们看到三列彩色圆圈。每一列中的圆圈都是相同的颜色，但每一列都是不同的颜色。</p>
<p>在右边，我们也看到三列彩色圆圈。每一列中的圆圈都是不一样的颜色。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T22:32:09.080Z
2023-07-17T22:32:09.080Z
Pedroski
<p>I would personally feel 三堆颜色不同的球 only refers to the right while 颜色不同的三堆球 has some ambiguity when it comes to whether 颜色不同的 is 堆 or 球.</p>
<p>However, despite the ambiguity, I feel the expression itself is natural. I didn't quite feel that 堆 is wrong because the picture does give me a sense of gravity (?) and is enough to suggest a pile in a more abstract sense, but this is something 见仁见智.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would use a more complex expression to make things clear.</p>
<p>The left: 有三堆球，同一堆里的球颜色相同，但堆和堆之间颜色不同。</p>
<p>The right: 有三堆球，球的颜色两两不同。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-18T19:28:00.987Z
2023-07-18T19:41:23.257Z
2023-07-18T19:41:23.257Z
Xin Shiyu
<p>三列净色的圆点 (Three columns of dots of a solid color)</p>
<p>三列混色的圆点 (Three columns of dots of mixed colors)</p>
<ul>
<li><p>列 = columns/row</p>
</li>
<li><p>3D looking circle is 球, 2D looking circle is 圆点</p>
</li>
<li><p>堆 means &quot;pile&quot;, 三堆球 is a wrong description</p>
</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T16:19:08.163Z
2023-07-17T16:24:15.673Z
2023-07-17T16:24:15.673Z
Tang Ho
<p>My personal choice would be,</p>
<p>三行不同颜色的球</p>
<p>Comment,</p>
<p>堆 gives the idea of the balls being clumped together as in a heap or pile, whereas the image shows the balls separated evenly in neat rows, thus I prefer 行</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T12:39:59.133Z
2023-07-17T12:57:07.253Z
2023-07-17T12:57:07.253Z
Wayne Cheah
<p>I would likely describe the groups of balls in the following ways:</p>
<p>the group on left- 三排/列/行<strong>各具一色的</strong>一組球 - <strong>a group</strong> of three <strong>rows/lines/columns</strong> of balls, each row/line/column contains balls having a color different than the other rows/lines.</p>
<p>the group on right - 三排/列/行<strong>顏色混雜(不一)的</strong>一組球 - <strong>a group</strong> of three <strong>rows/lines/columns</strong> of balls, each row/line/column contains balls of different colors arranged in random.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T14:55:05.573Z
2023-07-17T18:23:17.347Z
2023-07-17T18:23:17.347Z
r13
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/M1828m.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/M1828m.png" alt="two images: (left) three piles of balls with each pile containing different colored balls, and (right) three piles of balls with every ball differently colored" /></a><br />
<sub>(Thanks to <a href="https://poe.com/ChatGPT" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ChatGPT</a> for saving me time with the above drawing.)</sub></p>
</blockquote>
<p>I'm wondering if describing these piles of balls is as finicky in Chinese as in English.  I'd naturally use the terms:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>三堆颜色不同的球 is equivalent to &quot;three piles of differently colored balls&quot;, which could describe either situation,</p>
</li>
<li><p>颜色不同的三堆球 is equivalent to &quot;three differently colored piles of balls&quot;, which seems to precisely describe the situation on the left.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Maybe there's better choices.  I don't really have a concise way to describe the situation on the right.</p>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: Can these piles of balls be best described as 三堆颜色不同的球 or 颜色不同的三堆球 or something else?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T12:23:52.623Z
(I couldn't think up appropriate tags here.  It's like 看图写话 or "image description".  I'd appreciate the edit if users know better tags.)
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T12:57:36.857Z
I don't think there is a simple sentence that can clearly describe the situation without misunderstanding, Chinese as well as English.
r13
<ambiguity>
Can these piles of balls be best described as 三堆颜色不同的球 or 颜色不同的三堆球 or something else?
# Can these piles of balls be best described as 三堆颜色不同的球 or 颜色不同的三堆球 or something else?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-07-17)

> [![two images: (left) three piles of balls with each pile containing different colored balls, and (right) three piles of balls with every ball differently colored](https://i.sstatic.net/M1828m.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/M1828m.png)  
> (Thanks to [ChatGPT](https://poe.com/ChatGPT) for saving me time with the above drawing.)

I'm wondering if describing these piles of balls is as finicky in Chinese as in English. I'd naturally use the terms:

* 三堆颜色不同的球 is equivalent to "three piles of differently colored balls", which could describe either situation,
* 颜色不同的三堆球 is equivalent to "three differently colored piles of balls", which seems to precisely describe the situation on the left.

Maybe there's better choices. I don't really have a concise way to describe the situation on the right.

**Question**: Can these piles of balls be best described as 三堆颜色不同的球 or 颜色不同的三堆球 or something else?

**Tags:** ambiguity

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: (I couldn't think up appropriate tags here.  It's like 看图写话 or "image description".  I'd appreciate the edit if users know better tags.)  
> **username_1**: I don't think there is a simple sentence that can clearly describe the situation without misunderstanding, Chinese as well as English.  

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## 5 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2023-07-17. Score: 2

在左边，我们看到三列彩色圆圈。每一列中的圆圈都是相同的颜色，但每一列都是不同的颜色。

在右边，我们也看到三列彩色圆圈。每一列中的圆圈都是不一样的颜色。


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### Answer by username_3 on 2023-07-18. Score: 1

I would personally feel 三堆颜色不同的球 only refers to the right while 颜色不同的三堆球 has some ambiguity when it comes to whether 颜色不同的 is 堆 or 球.

However, despite the ambiguity, I feel the expression itself is natural. I didn't quite feel that 堆 is wrong because the picture does give me a sense of gravity (?) and is enough to suggest a pile in a more abstract sense, but this is something 见仁见智.

If I were you, I would use a more complex expression to make things clear.

The left: 有三堆球，同一堆里的球颜色相同，但堆和堆之间颜色不同。

The right: 有三堆球，球的颜色两两不同。


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### Answer by username_4 on 2023-07-17. Score: 1

三列净色的圆点 (Three columns of dots of a solid color)

三列混色的圆点 (Three columns of dots of mixed colors)

* 列 = columns/row
* 3D looking circle is 球, 2D looking circle is 圆点
* 堆 means "pile", 三堆球 is a wrong description


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### Answer by username_5 on 2023-07-17. Score: 1

My personal choice would be,

三行不同颜色的球

Comment,

堆 gives the idea of the balls being clumped together as in a heap or pile, whereas the image shows the balls separated evenly in neat rows, thus I prefer 行


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### Answer by username_1 on 2023-07-17. Score: 1

I would likely describe the groups of balls in the following ways:

the group on left- 三排/列/行**各具一色的**一組球 - **a group** of three **rows/lines/columns** of balls, each row/line/column contains balls having a color different than the other rows/lines.

the group on right - 三排/列/行**顏色混雜(不一)的**一組球 - **a group** of three **rows/lines/columns** of balls, each row/line/column contains balls of different colors arranged in random.


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