Fourth tone (`): The word mà with the fourth tone means “to scold” (for instance, if one were to reprimand someone, one would mà the said individual). The fourth tone is spoken sharply, like the word “Damn!”
There is one more tone, ma (without a tone marking), referred to as the neutral tone, which depends on the tone that precedes it.
Change of tone:
When 2 third tones come in succession, a change of tone occurs and the first third tone is to be pronounced in the second tone.
Just as English is spoken with different accents, so is Chinese; learners of Chinese must therefore develop an ear for the language.
CONSONANTS
The following offers a guide to the pronunciation of the standard Hanyu Pinyin system of romanization, which is used almost all over the world.
Most consonants are pronounced as in English.
| Chinese | English |
| c | its |
| ci | its (silent “i”) |
| q | cheat (said with a puff of air) |
| qi | chip (silent “i”) |
| r | urn |
| si | swing |
| x | sea |
| z | bits |
| zi | bits (silent “i”) |
| ch | church (said with one’s tongue rolled back and with a puff of air) |
| sh | she (said with one’s tongue rolled back) |
| zh | jerk (said with one’s tongue rolled back) |
VOWELS
| Pinyin | English |
| a | father |
| e | hen |
| i | pin (single “i” is pronounced “e” as in he) |
| o | go |
| u | July |
| ü | feud (said with rounded lips) |
| ao | how |
| ei | hay |
| ou | no (said with a slight pull) |
| ui | wait |
Alphabetical Index
A
àn ‌‌‌按 ‌‌‌131
B
bǎ ‌‌‌把 ‌‌‌29
bái ‌‌‌白 ‌‌‌11
bài ‌‌‌败 ‌‌‌338
bǎn ‌‌‌版 ‌‌‌343
bāo ‌‌‌包 ‌‌‌184
bǎo ‌‌‌饱 ‌‌‌355
bào ‌‌‌报 ‌‌‌37
bào ‌‌‌抱 ‌‌‌317
bēi ‌‌‌杯 ‌‌‌109
bèi ‌‌‌备 ‌‌‌354
bì ‌‌‌必 ‌‌‌129
bì ‌‌‌毕 ‌‌‌205
biàn ‌‌‌变 ‌‌‌356
bié ‌‌‌别 ‌‌‌12
bīng ‌‌‌冰 ‌‌‌229
bìng ‌‌‌并 ‌‌‌197
bìng ‌‌‌病 ‌‌‌66
bǔ ‌‌‌补 ‌‌‌300
bù ‌‌‌布 ‌‌‌174
C
cǎi ‌‌‌采 ‌‌‌351
cài ‌‌‌菜 ‌‌‌106
cān ‌‌‌参 ‌‌‌321
cān ‌‌‌餐 ‌‌‌101
céng ‌‌‌层 ‌‌‌308
chá ‌‌‌茶 ‌‌‌90
chǎn ‌‌‌产 ‌‌‌232
cháng ‌‌‌尝 ‌‌‌93
chǎng ‌‌‌厂 ‌‌‌137
chàng ‌‌‌畅 ‌‌‌335
chǎo ‌‌‌炒 ‌‌‌111
chén ‌‌‌沉 ‌‌‌290
chén ‌‌‌陈 ‌‌‌310
chèn ‌‌‌衬 ‌‌‌9
chéng ‌‌‌成 ‌‌‌81
chí ‌‌‌持 ‌‌‌127
chí ‌‌‌迟 ‌‌‌307
chōng ‌‌‌沖 ‌‌‌228
chǒu ‌‌‌丑 ‌‌‌166
chū ‌‌‌初 ‌‌‌301
chǔ/chù ‌‌‌处 ‌‌‌185
chuān ‌‌‌穿 ‌‌‌22
chuán/zhuàn ‌‌‌传 ‌‌‌215
chuāng/chuàng ‌‌‌创 ‌‌‌223
chūn ‌‌‌春 ‌‌‌46
cǐ ‌‌‌此 ‌‌‌207
cì ‌‌‌次 ‌‌‌128
cún ‌‌‌存 ‌‌‌201
D
dá ‌‌‌达 ‌‌‌203
dān ‌‌‌单 ‌‌‌107
dàn ‌‌‌蛋 ‌‌‌113
dāng/dàng ‌‌‌当 ‌‌‌209
dī ‌‌‌低 ‌‌‌44
dī ‌‌‌低 ‌‌‌280
dǐ ‌‌‌抵 ‌‌‌318
dǐ ‌‌‌底 ‌‌‌358
dǐng ‌‌‌顶 ‌‌‌316
dù ‌‌‌度