Tone pair 1-1
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 "1" on a difficulty rating of 1-7 (easiest to hardest).
This one's pretty easy! You just stay high and level, almost robot-like. 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.
1-1 Tone Pair Combos
Source: Sinosplice's Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills (used with permission)
- 真新 (zhēn xīn) really new
- 真黑 (zhēn hēi) really black, really dark
- 真干 (zhēn gān) really dry
- 真轻 (zhēn qīng) really light
- 真酸 (zhēn suān) really sour
1-1 Tone Pair Words
Sources: Sinosplice's Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills, AllSet Learning's "Tone Pair" Pronunciation Pack (used with permission)
- 伤心 (shāngxīn) sad
- 糟糕 (zāogāo) terrible, a mess
- 今天 (jīntiān) today
- 应该 (yīnggāi) ought to, should
- 出生 (chūshēng) to be born
- 星期 (xīngqī) week
- 咖啡 (kāfēi) coffee
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
