Tone pair 1-1

If you're already familiar with tone pairs, then you might be ready for some specific examples. This page will cover some examples of the 1-1 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "1" on a difficulty rating of 1-7 (easiest to hardest).

This one's pretty easy! You just stay high and level, almost robot-like. 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.

1-1 Tone Pair Combos

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

• 真新 (zhēn xīn) really new
• 真黑 (zhēn hēi) really black, really dark
• 真干 (zhēn gān) really dry
• 真轻 (zhēn qīng) really light
• 真酸 (zhēn suān) really sour

1-1 Tone Pair Words

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

• 伤心 (shāngxīn) sad
• 糟糕 (zāogāo) terrible, a mess
• 今天 (jīntiān) today
• 应该 (yīnggāi) ought to, should
• 出生 (chūshēng) to be born
• 星期 (xīngqī) week
• 咖啡 (kāfēi) coffee

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