Tone pair 1-3
This page will cover some examples of the 1-3 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "4" on a difficulty rating of 1-7 (easiest to hardest).
This one's a little difficult. First character is flat and high, 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.
1-3 Tone Pair Combos
Source: Sinosplice's Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills (used with permission)
- 真早 (zhēn zǎo) really early
- 真美 (zhēnměi) really beautiful
- 真冷 (zhēn lěng) really cold
- 真晚 (zhēn wǎn) really late
- 真短 (zhēn duǎn）really short
1-3 Tone Pair Words
Sources: Sinosplice's Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills, AllSet Learning's "Tone Pair" Pronunciation Pack (used with permission)
- 身体 (shēntǐ）body
- 多少 (duōshǎo) how much
- 喝酒 (hējiǔ) drink alcohol
- 机场 (jīchǎng) airport
- 观点 (guāndiǎn) view
- 当选 (dāngxuǎn) elected
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
