Tone pair 1-2
This page will cover some examples of the 1-2 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "5" on a difficulty rating of 1-7 (easiest to hardest).
This one's a little difficult. Stay level on the first character and go higher for the second. 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)
- 真油
- 真长
- 真红
- 真难 (zhēn nán) really hard
- 真忙 (zhēn máng) really busy
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
