Tone pair 2-1

Level

B1
In series Tone pairs
1. 1. Tone pair 1-1
2. 2. Tone pair 1-2
3. 3. Tone pair 1-3
4. 4. Tone pair 1-4
5. 5. Tone pair 1-0
6. 6. Tone pair 2-1
7. 7. Tone pair 2-2
8. 8. Tone pair 2-3
9. 9. Tone pair 2-4
10. 10. Tone pair 2-0
11. 11. Tone pair 3-1
12. 12. Tone pair 3-2
13. 13. Tone pair 3-3
14. 14. Tone pair 3-4
15. 15. Tone pair 3-0
16. 16. Tone pair 4-1
17. 17. Tone pair 4-2
18. 18. Tone pair 4-3
19. 19. Tone pair 4-4
20. 20. Tone pair 4-0

This page will cover some examples of the 2-1 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "4" on a difficulty rating of 1-7 (easiest to hardest).

Practice this tone pair using the words below. Once you can say them reliable in isolation (as just a tone pair), try putting them in longer sentences while keeping the tones accurate.

2-1 Tone Pair Diagram

It helps many learners to see the two tones side by side.

2-1 Tone Pair Words (A2)

If you're just getting started with tone pairs, these simple two-syllable words and phrases are a good place to start. If these are too easy, you may want to move onto the longer (B1) phrases below.

Audio	Chinese	Pinyin	English
shi2jian1	时间	shíjiān	time
qian2tian1	前天	qiántiān	the day before yesterday
zuo2tian1	昨天	zuótiān	yesterday
ming2tian1	明天	míngtiān	tomorrow
hui2jia1	回家	huíjiā	to go home

Source: AllSet Learning's "Tone Pair" Pronunciation Pack (used with permission)

2-1 Tone Pair Phrases (B1)

Audio	Chinese	Pinyin	English
nian2qing1ren2	年轻人	niánqīng rén	young people
hen3nan2chi1	很难吃	hěn nánchī	very bad-tasting
li2kai1fang2jian1	离开房间	líkāi fángjiān	to leave the room
ming2tian1hui2jia1	明天回家	míngtiān huí jiā	to go back home tomorrow
duo1chang2shi2jian1	多长时间	duōcháng shíjiān	how long, how much time