Tone pair 2-3

This page will cover some examples of the 2-3 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "4" 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.

2-3 Tone Pair Combos

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

• 蛮好 (mán hǎo) quite good
• 蛮小 (mán xiǎo) quite small
• 蛮早 (mán zǎo) quite early
• 蛮冷 (mán lěng) quite cold

2-3 Tone Pair Words

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

• 红酒 (hóngjiǔ) red wine
• 茶馆 (cháguǎn) teahouse
• 如果 (rúguǒ) if
• 朋友 (péngyǒu) friend
• 苹果 (píngguǒ) apple
• 难懂 (nán dǒng) hard to understand
• 明显 (míngxiǎn) obvious

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