Tone pair 1-3

This page will cover some examples of the 1-3 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "4" on a difficulty rating of 1-7 (easiest to hardest).

This one's a little difficult. First character is flat and high, going into the second character start low then go lower before rising to a high tone. 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.

1-3 Tone Pair Combos

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

• 真早 (zhēn zǎo) really early
• 真美 (zhēnměi) really beautiful
• 真冷 (zhēn lěng) really cold
• 真晚 (zhēn wǎn) really late
• 真短 (zhēn duǎn）really short

1-3 Tone Pair Words

Sources: Sinosplice's Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills, AllSet Learning's "Tone Pair" Pronunciation Pack (used with permission)

• 身体 (shēntǐ）body
• 多少 (duōshǎo) how much
• 喝酒 (hējiǔ) drink alcohol
• 机场 (jīchǎng) airport
• 观点 (guāndiǎn) view
• 当选 (dāngxuǎn) elected

Sources and further reading

Websites

• Sinosplice: The Process Of Learning Tones
• Sinosplice: Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills, New Feature: Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills
• Hacking Chinese: Focusing on tone pairs to improve your Mandarin pronunciation
• About.com: How tone pairs can improve your Mandarin pronunciation