Tone pair 1-4

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

When practicing, First character is flat and high, when 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.

1-4 Tone Pair Combos

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

• 真快 (zhēn kuài) really fast
• 真大 (zhēn dà) really big
• 真贵 (zhēn guì) really expensive
• 真热 (zhēn rè) really hot
• 真饿 (zhēn è) really hungry

1-4 Tone Pair Words

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

• 方便 (fāngbiàn) convenient
• 因为 (yīnwèi) because
• 猪肉 (zhūròu) pork
• 说话 (shuōhuà) speak
• 工作 (gōngzuò) work
• 功课 (gōngkè) homework
• 加快 (jiākuài) accelerate

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