Tone pair 2-1

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.

Tone Pair 2-1 cropped.png

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
时间 shíjiān time
前天 qiántiān the day before yesterday
昨天 zuótiān yesterday
明天 míngtiān tomorrow
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
年轻人 niánqīng rén young people
很难吃 hěn nánchī very bad-tasting
离开房间 líkāi fángjiān to leave the room
明天回家 míngtiān huí jiā to go back home tomorrow
多长时间 duōcháng shíjiān how long, how much time

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

2-1 Tone Pair Combos

Audio Chinese Pinyin English
(coming) 蛮新 mán xīn quite new
(coming) 蛮黑 mán hēi quite dark

Source: Sinosplice's Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills (used with permission)

Sources and further reading

Videos

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