Tone pair 4-3

This page will cover some examples of the 1-4 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "3" on a difficulty rating of 1-7 (easiest to hardest).

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.

4-3 Tone Pair Combos

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

• 太老 (tài lǎo) too old
• 太早 (tài zǎo) too early
• 太小 (tài xiǎo) too small
• 太美 (tàiměi) too beautiful
• 太短 (tài duǎn) too short

4-3 Tone Pair Words

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

• 一起 (yīqǐ) together
• 下雨 (xiàyǔ) to rain
• 电脑 (diànnǎo) computer
• 上午 (shàngwǔ) morning, a.m.
• 地铁 (dìtiě) subway, metro

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