Tone change rules
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Level
- Also known as: tone sandhi and 变调规则 (biàndiào guīzé).
There are certain circumstances under which a Chinese word or character's normal tone will regularly change to a specific different tone. These tone changes (also called tone sandhi) must be learned in order to pronounce Chinese correctly.
There are three main tone change rules that every learner needs to know. These rules are not normally reflected in the tone marks of pinyin; you just have to know them.
Contents
Tone Changes for 不 (bù)
When followed by a 4th tone, 不 (bù) changes to 2nd tone (bú).
Examples
Remember, normally you do not write the tone change. We're just doing it here to make it extra clear.
- 不是 not be
- 不对 not right
- 不要 not want
- 不做 not do
- 不去 not go
Exceptions
There are no exceptions to this rule. Just remember that it only applies to the character 不 (bù), and not any other character also read "bù."
Tone Changes for 一 (yī)
When followed by a 4th tone, ⼀ (yī) changes to 2nd tone (yí).
When followed by any other tone, ⼀ (yī) changes to 4th tone (yì).
Examples
Remember, normally you do not write the tone change. We're just doing it here to make it extra clear.
- 一个 one (of something)
- 一样 the same
- 一起 together
- 一百 one hundred
- 一千 one thousand
- 一直 straight; all along
Exceptions
- 一 二 三 四 五 one, two, three, four, five
- 0.12 zero point one two
- 第 一 个 the first one
- 一 千 一 百 一十一 one thousand one hundred eleven
- 2011 年 the year two thousand eleven
- 一 楼 first floor
- 二 零 一 房间 room 201
- 一五一十 in full detail [idiom]
- 周一 到 周五 from Monday to Friday
- 一月 January
- 三月 一 号 March 1st
Tone Changes for Multiple Third Tones
When a 3rd tone (e.g. “yě”) is followed by another 3rd tone in a group, the first 3rd tone changes to a 2nd tone (e.g. “yé”).
Examples
Remember, normally you do not write the tone change. We're just doing it here to make it extra clear.
- 你好 hi
- 很 好 very good
- 可以 can, may
- 所以 so, therefore
- 语法 grammar
Exceptions
While not exactly an "exception," sometimes multiple third tones in a row will be broken up by pauses. In this case, the last word/character in each "group" will be pronounced as a third tone. Beginners should not worry about this, as lots of third tones in a row is not super common.
Why Tone Changes Are Not Written
Normally the tone changes above are not written in the pinyin; you are supposed to just know the rule and apply it if you say the word(s) aloud. The reason for this is that in many cases if the tone change is written, you will be confused as to what the “normal” tone of a character is actually supposed to be. For example, you might wonder, “is this a third tone written as a second tone because it’s followed by a third tone, or is this character always a second tone?” Always writing the original tones solves this problem. But it also means that you really need to know your tone change rules. Learn them well!
An Alternative Way to Indicate Tone Changes
Some textbooks or software (such as Wenlin) indicate a tone change with a small dot under the letter with the tone mark. This can be nice for beginners, but it is not part of standard pinyin.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Tone sandhi: Mandarin Chinese
