Tone pair 3-1

This page will cover some examples of the 3-1 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "5" 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.

3-1 Tone Pair Diagram

It helps many learners to see the two tone tones side by side.

3-1 Tone Pair Words (A2)

If you're just getting started with tone pairs, these simple two-syllable words and phrases are a good place to start. If these are too easy, you may want to move onto the longer (B1) phrases below.

Audio	Chinese	Pinyin	English
yi3jing1	已经	yǐjīng	already
mai3dan1	买单	mǎidān	to pay the restaurant bill
shou3ji1	手机	shǒujī	cell phone
bei3jing1	北京	Běijīng	Beijing
lao3shi1	老师	lǎoshī	teacher

Note: 喜欢 (xǐhuan) is often written with the pinyin "xǐhuan" (neutral tone on the "huan"), but it's also quite common to hear it with the full first tone on the "huan," as "xǐhuān," outside of Beijing, and especially in Taiwan.

Source: AllSet Learning's "Tone Pair" Pronunciation Pack (used with permission)

3-1 Tone Pair Phrases (B1)

Audio	Chinese	Pinyin	English
mai3shou3ji1	买手机	mǎi shǒujī	to buy a cell phone
xi3huan1bei3jing1	喜欢北京	xǐhuān Běijīng	to like Beijing
lao3gong1mai3dan1	老公买单	lǎogōng mǎidān	(one's) husband pays the bill
hen3duo1lao3shi1	很多老师	hěn duō lǎoshī	a lot of teachers
yi3jing1chi1lehen3duo1	已经吃了很多	yǐjīng chī le hěn duō	have already been eating for a long time

Note: 喜欢 (xǐhuan) is often written with the pinyin "xǐhuan" (neutral tone on the "huan"), but it's also quite common to hear it with the full first tone on the "huan," as "xǐhuān," outside of Beijing, and especially in Taiwan.

Source: AllSet Learning's "Tone Pair" Pronunciation Pack (used with permission)

3-1 Tone Pair Combos

Audio	Chinese	Pinyin	English
(coming)	很高	hěn gāo	very tall
(coming)	很轻	hěn qīng	very light
(coming)	很酸	hěn suān	very sour
(coming)	很黑	hěn hēi	very dark

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

Sources and further reading

Videos

• AllSet Learning video on YouTube: Chinese Pronunciation Practice: A2 Tone Pair 3-1
• AllSet Learning video on YouTube: Chinese Pronunciation Practice: B1 Tone Pair 3-1

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

B1 pronunciation points