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Mandarin Chinese |
.Tones
Previous page |
| We've
already introduced Tones 1-4 (see Single Vowel Sounds).
. Tone 5 - the neutral tone - is short and unstressed. . In writing, it's either unmarked or marked 5: |
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| ge1 ge5 (older brother), ming2 zi5 (name), xie4 xie5 (thanks) | ||
| Here are some examples of two-syllable (= two-tone) words: | ||
| Tones | Example | |
| pian1 pian1 (unexpected) | ||
| ying1 guo2 (England) | ||
| ying1 yu3 (English) | ||
| jing1 ju4 (Beijing opera) | ||
| ge1 ge5 (older brother) | ||
| ming2 tian1 (tomorrow) | ||
| ru2 he2 (how?) | ||
| bai2 lian3 (painted white face in opera) | ||
| yi2 yang4 (same) | ||
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Bei3 jing1 (Beijing) | |
| yan3 ran2 (solemn) | ||
| nai3 er3 (like this) | ||
| zhao3 dao4 (find) | ||
| hou4 tian1 (day after tomorrow) | ||
| wei4 lai2 (the future) | ||
| zui4 hao3 (advisable) | ||
| bu4 lun4 (no matter) | ||
| Notes | 3
+ 3 is spoken as 2 + 3. 4 + 4 is spoken as 2 + 4 if the first syllable is "bu" ("no" or "not"). |
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| Examples of tones in whole sentences: |
| Thanks - Don't mention it. | |
| Sorry! - That's OK. | |
| How do you do? - Pleased to meet you. | |
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What's
your name? - My name's Song Chunxia. |
Our warmest thanks go to ...
| Speaker | Geographical origin | Date of recording | Approx age |
|
Wang
Kui |
Mianyang,
Sichuan Mianyang, Sichuan |
April
13th, 2002 April 13th, 2002 |
35
34 |
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Xie4 xie5 - Bu2 ke4 qi5. Dui4 bu4 qi3 - Mei2 guan1 xi5. Ni3 hao3
- Hen3 gao1 xing4 yu4 jian4 ni3. Ni3 jiao4 shen2 me5 ming2 zi5?
- Wo3 jiao4...