<blockquote>
<p>龙舟队分哪个两个组？</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I think it is a typo.</p>
<p>remove the extra 个 and write <strong>龙舟队分哪两个组?</strong>(dragon boat teams divided into which two groups?) make the most sense</p>
<blockquote>
<p>龙舟队分[哪两个组]?</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>龙舟队分[男子组和女子组]</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>龙舟队分[成人组和少年组]</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>龙舟队分[业余组和职业组]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It is wrong to use 个 (a) as a classifier for 两个组 (two groups)</p>
<p>Similarly:</p>
<p>你說的是哪兩个隊 (O)</p>
<p>你說的是哪兩隊 (O)</p>
<p>你說的是哪个隊 (O)</p>
<p>你說的是哪隊 (O)</p>
<p>你說的是哪个兩隊 (X)</p>
<p>你說的是哪个兩个隊 (X)(X)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T14:24:55.753Z
2020-07-23T14:38:47.303Z
2020-07-23T14:38:47.303Z
Tang Ho
<p>I think this sentence is not perfectly grammatical. You can analyze it as follows:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>龙舟队 The Dragon Boat Team</p>
<p>分 (divide into, assign to)</p>
<p>哪个 which (one)</p>
<p>两个组 two groups</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It doesn't sound grammatical to me mainly because 哪个 means &quot;哪（一）个 which one&quot;, but the subsequent noun phrase is about &quot;<strong>两个组</strong> two groups&quot;.</p>
<p>We can probably read it as &quot;which two groups&quot;, but then the Chinese would be “哪两个组”.</p>
<p>As additional evidence, Googling the quoted “哪个两个组” phrase yields a good 5 results, against 84k for “哪两个组”.</p>
<p>Anyway, putting it all together it becomes something like:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Which two groups is the Dragon Boat Team assigned to?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>or</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Which two groups is the Dragon Boat Team divided into?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In both these cases, I think 分组 is <strong>not</strong> a separable verb. Why?</p>
<p>In a separable verb the separable part is the object of the sentence (that's why they are also called <em>verb-object phrases</em>) but this object has a non-specific meaning (some linguists call it <em>virtual</em> or <em>ostensive</em> object), and as such, in English it's often rendered as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valency_(linguistics)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">1-valency</a> verb. Compare:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>我吃饭 = I eat <strike>food</strike></p>
<p>我跑步 = I run <strike>steps</strike></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Instead your sentence already has an object — or if you prefer, the subject of a passive form —, which is 龙舟队 ...unless you want to argue that 龙舟队 is who performs the division in groups. (The fact that 龙舟队 is the topic of a topic-comment construction doesn't affect its grammatical role.)</p>
<p>As a counter-test, can you rewrite 组 in a <strong>把 + Obj. + V</strong> structure? You can't. Instead 龙舟队 can be placed after 把:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>他<strong>把龙舟队</strong>分哪两个组 (ok) vs <strike>龙舟队把组分哪两个 (???)</strike> (not ok)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So what is 组 then? I think it's the object of a <strong>3-valency result complement structure</strong>. This is relatively easier to see if we rewrite the verb+result in a copy structure, instead of topic-comment. (This is similar to what you can do with degree complements):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(主语) <strong>分</strong> 龙舟队 <strong>分（成/到）</strong> 哪两个组</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is my analysis. Any feedback is welcome.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T13:48:08.043Z
2020-07-23T13:48:08.043Z
blackgreen
<p>龙舟队    ---  (The) Dragon boat team</p>
<p>分        --- separated / grouped into</p>
<p>哪个        ---  which</p>
<p>两个       ---   two</p>
<p>组？       ---  groups?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T12:33:05.487Z
2020-07-23T12:33:05.487Z
Wayne Cheah
<p>分 often comes with 为：</p>
<p>她让学生每四人分为一小组。<br />
She asked the students to split into groups of four.</p>
<p>Just thinking about a question yesterday on the origin of tense words in Chinese and whether the teams divide themselves or 被分为. Certainly, a team is a team and remains undivided.</p>
<p>龙舟队被分为哪两个组？<br />
The dragon boat teams are divided into which two groups?</p>
<p>龙舟队分为哪两个组？<br />
Dragon boat teams divide into which two groups?</p>
<p>But, if the team <em>is</em> divided after some fashion, my piercingly nautical suggestion would be:</p>
<p>比较胖的队员全部坐在右舷，瘦瘦的队员都坐在左舷。<br />
Fat team members all sit on the starboard side, thin team members all sit on the port side.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-24T22:49:30.773Z
2020-07-24T22:49:30.773Z
Pedroski
<p>龙舟队分<strong>哪个两个组</strong>？ is simply incorrect.</p>
<p>The combination of 哪个 and 两个组 doesn't make any sense grammatically and logically.</p>
<p>哪个 means WHICH ONE, for example: A B C D, 哪个是B？(which one is B?). The second one is B.</p>
<p>哪两个组 is right, means WHICH TWO GROUPS?</p>
<p>So the correct sentence is 龙舟队分哪两个组？</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-25T08:13:04.923Z
2020-07-25T08:18:21.117Z
2020-07-25T08:18:21.117Z
HungYu Chang
<p>What is the meaning of this sentence?</p>
<blockquote>
<p>龙舟队分哪个两个组？</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Moreover, is 分组 a separable verb 离合动词, or is it a verb and a noun?</p>
<p>I haven't found grammar references that explain the verb in question. I'm confused because 哪 is in the middle of the supposed separable verb.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T12:20:35.613Z
Where did you see the sentence?
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T12:24:36.493Z
In my chinese book easy steps to chinese 5.
ANTXON
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T12:25:46.330Z
From a passage about dragon boat racing?
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T13:17:54.030Z
@ANTXON Are you sure there isn't a typo?  It doesn't look quite right. Or any context?
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-23T13:48:20.770Z
哪个两个 sounds like Southwestern Mandarin, not MSM.
Mou某
<grammar><meaning><separable-verbs>
What's the meaning of 龙舟队分哪个两个组？
# What's the meaning of 龙舟队分哪个两个组？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-07-23)

What is the meaning of this sentence?

> 龙舟队分哪个两个组？

Moreover, is 分组 a separable verb 离合动词, or is it a verb and a noun?

I haven't found grammar references that explain the verb in question. I'm confused because 哪 is in the middle of the supposed separable verb.

**Tags:** grammar, meaning, separable-verbs

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Where did you see the sentence?  
> **username_0**: In my chinese book easy steps to chinese 5.  
> **username_2**: From a passage about dragon boat racing?  
> **username_1**: @username_0 Are you sure there isn't a typo?  It doesn't look quite right. Or any context?  
> **username_3**: 哪个两个 sounds like Southwestern Mandarin, not MSM.  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-07-23. Score: 4

> 龙舟队分哪个两个组？

I think it is a typo.

remove the extra 个 and write **龙舟队分哪两个组?**(dragon boat teams divided into which two groups?) make the most sense

> 龙舟队分[哪两个组]?

> 龙舟队分[男子组和女子组]

> 龙舟队分[成人组和少年组]

> 龙舟队分[业余组和职业组]

It is wrong to use 个 (a) as a classifier for 两个组 (two groups)

Similarly:

你說的是哪兩个隊 (O)

你說的是哪兩隊 (O)

你說的是哪个隊 (O)

你說的是哪隊 (O)

你說的是哪个兩隊 (X)

你說的是哪个兩个隊 (X)(X)


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2020-07-23. Score: 1

I think this sentence is not perfectly grammatical. You can analyze it as follows:

> 龙舟队 The Dragon Boat Team
>
> 分 (divide into, assign to)
>
> 哪个 which (one)
>
> 两个组 two groups

It doesn't sound grammatical to me mainly because 哪个 means "哪（一）个 which one", but the subsequent noun phrase is about "**两个组** two groups".

We can probably read it as "which two groups", but then the Chinese would be “哪两个组”.

As additional evidence, Googling the quoted “哪个两个组” phrase yields a good 5 results, against 84k for “哪两个组”.

Anyway, putting it all together it becomes something like:

> Which two groups is the Dragon Boat Team assigned to?

or

> Which two groups is the Dragon Boat Team divided into?

In both these cases, I think 分组 is **not** a separable verb. Why?

In a separable verb the separable part is the object of the sentence (that's why they are also called *verb-object phrases*) but this object has a non-specific meaning (some linguists call it *virtual* or *ostensive* object), and as such, in English it's often rendered as a [1-valency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valency_(linguistics)) verb. Compare:

> 我吃饭 = I eat food
>
> 我跑步 = I run steps

Instead your sentence already has an object — or if you prefer, the subject of a passive form —, which is 龙舟队 ...unless you want to argue that 龙舟队 is who performs the division in groups. (The fact that 龙舟队 is the topic of a topic-comment construction doesn't affect its grammatical role.)

As a counter-test, can you rewrite 组 in a **把 + Obj. + V** structure? You can't. Instead 龙舟队 can be placed after 把:

> 他**把龙舟队**分哪两个组 (ok) vs 龙舟队把组分哪两个 (???) (not ok)

So what is 组 then? I think it's the object of a **3-valency result complement structure**. This is relatively easier to see if we rewrite the verb+result in a copy structure, instead of topic-comment. (This is similar to what you can do with degree complements):

> (主语) **分** 龙舟队 **分（成/到）** 哪两个组

This is my analysis. Any feedback is welcome.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-07-23. Score: 1

龙舟队 --- (The) Dragon boat team

分 --- separated / grouped into

哪个 --- which

两个 --- two

组？ --- groups?


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2020-07-24. Score: 0

分 often comes with 为：

她让学生每四人分为一小组。  
She asked the students to split into groups of four.

Just thinking about a question yesterday on the origin of tense words in Chinese and whether the teams divide themselves or 被分为. Certainly, a team is a team and remains undivided.

龙舟队被分为哪两个组？  
The dragon boat teams are divided into which two groups?

龙舟队分为哪两个组？  
Dragon boat teams divide into which two groups?

But, if the team *is* divided after some fashion, my piercingly nautical suggestion would be:

比较胖的队员全部坐在右舷，瘦瘦的队员都坐在左舷。  
Fat team members all sit on the starboard side, thin team members all sit on the port side.


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2020-07-25. Score: 0

龙舟队分**哪个两个组**？ is simply incorrect.

The combination of 哪个 and 两个组 doesn't make any sense grammatically and logically.

哪个 means WHICH ONE, for example: A B C D, 哪个是B？(which one is B?). The second one is B.

哪两个组 is right, means WHICH TWO GROUPS?

So the correct sentence is 龙舟队分哪两个组？


---

