Tones In Combination
1+1 | 1+2 | 1+3 | 1+4 | 2+1 | 2+2 | 2+3 | 2+4 | 3+1 | 3+2 | 3+3 | 3+4| 4+1| 4+2| 4+3| 4+4| Neutral Tone
1+1 Same Pitch
huamao | fashao | chufa | feiji | guanxin | siji |
xiyan | zijin | shanpo | jiaotong | dongfeng | jiaxiang |
1+2 The Second Tone starts in the End and then Rise
jiating | gangqin | zhichi | jinyu | hualan | anquan |
huanying | faming | fayan | jingying | kexue | Zhongguo |
1+3 Don't Let the Third Tone Drag Down the First
sanli | gewu | fenshou | kaishui | huacao | sixiang |
fangfa | fabiao | heiban | jichu | fazhan | shengchan |
1+4 Keep the First Tone High and Steady
gaoxing | xiwang | shengdiao | shujia | heiye | fadong |
gonggong | yinyue | bangzhu | gongzuo | kaihui | xuyao |
2+1 Raise the Second Tone High to the End of the First
guojia | chabei | yuanyin | shijian | xuesheng | qita |
chenggong | wenzhang | nongcun | tigang | lianhua | honghua |
2+2 Keep the Two Exactly Alike
renmin | lianhe | yuanlai | yuanze | liuxing | wenming |
pinfan | ertong | shitang | lunliu | heping | nongmin |
2+3 The Second Tone Mid to High, then Down to the 3rd and Stay Low
maobi | tingzhi | zacao | nannu | shipin | cidian |
changjiu | quanti | niunai | pingdeng | jieguo | fannao |
2+4 Up and then Down
xuexiao | bieshu | wenhua | qunzhong | zazhi | huiyi |
niandai | tongban | laodong | paidui | maodun | fuwu |
3+1 Half Third to High Level
haifeng | shouxian | yuyi | wuzhuang | jiandan | fangzhi |
shizhong | beifang | laoshi | yanchu | jieshuo | putong |
3+2 Half Third + Rising
gaige | shuitian | yuwen | luxing | juxing | jiancha |
zhuchi | qichuang | yanyuan | huochai | daqiu | guoran |
3+3 ->2+3
xiaozu | gudian | lengshui | yufa | yecao | wudao |
guangchang | zhanlan | yindao | jianduan | ganxiang | nihao |
bici liaojie | jushou xuanju | qiyou cili | yongyuan youhao | | |
3+4 Half Third +4
dianfan | guangda | rennai | qiaomiao | yanxi | meili |
wushu | kepa | gudai | tudi | malu | fangwen |
4+1 The 4th Tone Begins High then Slows down,
High to Start the 1st Tone
diandeng | dajia | xibao | sihu | weixing | guxiang |
keting | lieche | sheji | shugen | xinxin | changge |
4+2
shulin | shanliang | dongyao | shuimian | yufang | mantan |
lunwen | zhengquan | jiaocai | neirong | gaobie | jiaoxue |
4+3
baozhi | funu | tiaowu | xiqu | lishi | chibang |
hanyu | goumai | houguo | didian | chedi | keben |
4+4
xiju | dianshi | biye | didao | huiyi | fendou |
jingsai | hexin | dagai | zhuyi | shangke | jihua |
Neutral Tone
Short, No Countour; Always at the End; Sounds Like the 4th Tone
1+ 0 (low 2) | tingle | diule | sange | feide | 2 + 0 (low 3) | mianhua | toufa | laile | yeye |
| zhuozi | mama | gege | tianshang | | panzi | toushang | fangzi | wawa |
3 + 0 (low 4) | nimen | jiejie | laolao | yizi | 4 + 0 (low 1) | difang | yueliang | baba | meimei |
| benzi | zoule | wanshang | zaoshang | | juzi | dishang | yangzi | |
Neutral Tone in Phrases
1. No fixed pitch, influenced by the
height of the
previous tone
2. The value of the vowel changes: short and unstreseed. Tends to reduce to shra.
3. Not only phonetic, but lexical and
grammatical as well.
boli beizi | sige xuesheng | dakai benzi | fangzai dixia |
ganjing yifu | rongyi mingbai | xiezai zhishang | guoqu wenwen |