Tone pair 4-1

This page will cover some examples of the 4-1 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "6" on a difficulty rating of 1-7 (easiest to hardest).

When practicing, begin with a high tone and end with a sharp fall, almost like you are angry. 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.

4-1 Tone Pair Combos

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

• 太干 (tài gān) too dry
• 太轻 (tài qīng) too light
• 太酸 (tài suān) too sour

4-1 Tone Pair Words

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

• 上班 (shàngbān) to go to work
• 蛋糕 (dàngāo) cake
• 夏天 (xiàtiān) summer
• 健康 (jiànkāng) healthy; health
• 一些 (yīxiē) some
• 用功 (yònggōng) work hard
• 自私 (zìsī) selfish

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

B1 pronunciation points