There are three ways to pronounce the Chinese Pinyin Third Tone:
Today we will learn the Half Third Tone. It is also called the Mandarin low Tone. This is another example of Mandarin Chinese Tone rules. And we will practice it along the video.
So far we've learned the Original Full Third Tone, the Third Tone changed into the Second Tone, and today's lesson is about Half Third Tone. The way to pronounce them is shown in the picture below:
No.1 - The Original Full Third Tone: starts semi-high, dips down and then goes up again.
No.2 - Third Tone becomes Second Tone: it becomes the Second Tone.
No.3 - Half Third Tone: the second half of the Full Third Tone is not pronounced. It's short and low, but you can still hear a little dipping down.
Just like all other Mandarin Chinese Tone rules, we have the Half Third Tone to avoid difficult pronunciation. And just like two Third Tones are difficult to pronounce, when the Third Tone goes before other Tones, it is just as challenging. So when the Third Tone goes before the First, the Second or the Fourth Tone, we don't pronounce the second half of the Third Tone. Instead, we start semi-high, and just dip down. When you hear it, the Half Third Tone is very low and short, but not as light or vague as the Neutral Tone. That is why the Half Third Tone is also called the Mandarin Low Tone.
TONE PAIRS | ||
---|---|---|
PĪNYĪN | 汉字 | ENGLISH |
xǐ huān | 喜欢 | to like |
shǒu jī | 手机 | cellphone |
jiǎn dān | 简单 | simple; easy |
hǎo chī | 好吃 | (of food) delicious |
xiǎo xīn | 小心 | careful |
SENTENCE | ||
xǐ huān shǒu jī jiǎn dān | ||
喜欢手机简单。 | ||
(I) like (my) cellphone simple. |
TONE PAIRS | ||
---|---|---|
PĪNYĪN | 汉字 | ENGLISH |
nǚ 'ér | 女儿 | daughter |
lǚ yóu | 旅游 | to travel |
wǎng qiú | 网球 | tennis |
xuǎn zé | 选择 | to choose |
kě néng | 可能 | might |
SENTENCE | ||
nǚ 'ér kě néng xuǎn zé wǎng qiú | ||
女儿可能选择网球。 | ||
The daughter might decide to play tennis. |
TONE PAIRS | ||
---|---|---|
PĪNYĪN | 汉字 | ENGLISH |
kǎo shì | 考试 | exam; test |
pǎo bù | 跑步 | to run |
zhǔn bèi | 准备 | to prepare |
mǎ shàng | 马上 | right away |
nǔ lì | 努力 | to work hard |
SENTENCE | ||
mǎ shàng nǔ lì zhǔn bèi kǎo shì | ||
马上努力准备考试。 | ||
(I’ll) be working hard to prepare for the exam right away. |