Tone pair 1-2
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 "5" on a difficulty rating of 1-7 (easiest to hardest).
This one's a little difficult. 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.
1-2 Tone Pair Combos
Source: Sinosplice's Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills (used with permission)
- 新年 (xīnnián）new year
1-2 Tone Pair Words
Sources: Sinosplice's Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills, AllSet Learning's "Tone Pair" Pronunciation Pack (used with permission)
- 突然 (tūrán）suddenly
- 天堂 (tiāntáng) Heaven
- 猜拳 (cāiquán) finger guessing game
- 加油 (jiāyóu）add oil, to cheer someone on
- 生活 (shēnghuó) life
- 空调 (kōngtiáo) air Conditioning
- 家人 (jiārén) family
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
