Additional tone change rules (B1)

If you can't get enough of tone change rules and you already know the three basic ones, you're probably ready for these intermediate (B1) tone change rules. Note that it's always best if these can be acquired unconsciously rather than actively studied, but if you'd still like to study them, that's what they're here for!

The "Half Third Tone"

This one is known as 半三声 (bàn sān shēng) in Chinese and is well-documented, although not always taught. The idea is that before certain other tones, third tone does not rise. It goes down low and then sort of stops there. So that's why it's a "half" tone: it does the "go low" half, but not the "rise" half. This is also why third tone is best characterized as "the low tone" rather than "the dipping tone" or "the falling-rising tone": third tone frequently doesn't actually rise.

You'll find the "half third tone" to be quite obvious in the following tone pairs:

• Tone pair 3-1
• Tone pair 3-2 (sort of)
• Tone pair 3-4

The half third tone is also the reason why third tone in this diagram has two forms:

不 becomes neutral tone

【Verb + 不 + Verb】“不”读作轻声。

【Adj. + 不 + Adj.】“不”读作轻声。

【可能补语】如“看不见、听不懂、进不去、找不到”等，“不”读作轻声bu。

Neutral tone in verb reduplication

Verb reduplication is 动词重叠 in Chinese.

单音节动词：AA式，如“看看、想想”等，第二个A注音应为轻声。

双音节动词：ABAB式，如“考虑考虑、商量商量、讨论讨论”，B的声调建议根据母式AB来定。

A few examples:

考虑(kǎolǜ)，“虑”是四声，重叠后“虑”还是四声，但通常弱读。

商量(shāngliang)，“量”是轻声，重叠后注音还是轻声。

First tone in adjective reduplication

Adjective reduplication is 形容词重叠 in Chinese.

1)单音节形容词重叠

AA式，第二个音节一般都读作原声调。口语里有少数单音节形容词重叠后可以儿化，儿化后第二个音节读一声。

A few examples:

慢→ 慢慢儿(mànmānr)

早→ 早早儿(zǎozāor)

好→ 好好儿( hǎohāor)

我觉得他今天怪怪的。

她的脸圆圆的，头发长长的。

2) 双音节形容词重叠

AABB式，第二个音节一般读作原声调。如“高高兴兴、干干净净、清清楚楚”；

若B本来就读作轻声，重叠后，第二个A要弱读，两个B都读作一声。

A few examples:

漂亮(piàoliang)→ 漂漂亮亮(piàopiaoliāngliāng)

热闹(rènao)→ 热热闹闹(rèrenāonāo)

舒服(shūfu)→ 舒舒服服(shūshufūfū)

Neutral tone for 边 in location words

"Location words" are 方位词 in Chinese.

“边”统一读作“bian”。

外边 里边 上边 下边 前边 后边 左边 右边