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HSK 2 Chinese Culture Lesson

The Four Tones of Mandarin

四声

Sì shēng

6:59 min video · 18 sentences · 5 key words

Transcript with pinyin and English

Hide the English to test yourself.
  1. 同一个声音，有四个意思。Tóngyī gè shēngyīn, yǒu sì gè yìsi.The same sound has four meanings.
  2. 妈，麻，马，骂。Mā, má, mǎ, mà.Mother, hemp, horse, scold.
  3. 你听到的是哪一个？Nǐ tīngdào de shì nǎ yí gè?Which one did you hear?
  4. 大卫说：“我听不出来！”Dà Wèi shuō: “Wǒ tīng bù chūlái!”David says: I can't hear it!
  5. 中文有四个声调。Zhōngwén yǒu sì gè shēng diào.Chinese has four tones.
  6. 第一声高又平，妈。Dì yī shēng gāo yòu píng, mā.The first tone is high and flat: mā.
  7. 第二声往上走，麻。Dì'èr shēng wǎng shàng zǒu, má.The second tone goes up: má.
  8. 第三声先低后高，马。第四声很快往下，骂。Dì sān shēng xiān dī hòu gāo, mǎ. Dì sì shēng hěn kuài wǎng xià, mà.The third dips then rises: mǎ. The fourth drops fast: mà.
  9. 现在我们来听一听。Xiànzài wǒmen lái tīng yi tīng.Now let's listen.
  10. 老师说“马”，大卫选第三声。Lǎoshī shuō “mǎ”, Dà Wèi xuǎn dì sān shēng.The teacher says mǎ, David picks the third tone.
  11. 他回答得很对！Tā huídá de hěn duì!He answered correctly!
  12. 你听见的是第几声？Nǐ tīngjiàn de shì dì jǐ shēng?Which tone did you hear?
  13. 汤是第一声，喝的汤很热。Tāng shì dì yī shēng, hē de tāng hěn rè.汤 is first tone, the soup you drink is hot.
  14. 糖是第二声，糖很好吃。Táng shì dì'èr shēng, táng hěn hǎochī.糖 is second tone, candy tastes good.
  15. 烫是第四声，烫手就是太热。Tàng shì dì sì shēng, tàng shǒu jiùshì tài rè.烫 is fourth tone, burning the hand means too hot.
  16. 十是第二声，是是第四声。Shí shì dì'èr shēng, shì shì dì sì shēng.十 is second tone, 是 is fourth tone.
  17. 你每天练习一点儿，就会听得很好。Nǐ měi tiān liànxí yìdiǎnr, jiù huì tīng de hěn hǎo.Practise a little every day and you will hear well.
  18. 你觉得哪一声最难？Nǐ juéde nǎ yì shēng zuì nán?Which tone do you think is hardest?

About this lesson

Learn how one syllable like ma changes meaning with four tones, then test your ears with ma, tang and shi.

How to practise

  1. Read what you will learn on the first card, then follow the lesson section by section with pinyin and English.
  2. Repeat every sentence out loud in the 跟读 · Your turn pause: you learn the facts and the words together.
  3. At the end, check the recap and answer the question in the YouTube comments.

四声 Sì shēng

The Four Tones of Mandarin

In this lesson

  • Hear four tones on the syllable ma
  • Tell tang and shi apart by tone
  • Learn the shape of each tone

Key takeaways

  • Mandarin has four tones
  • Ma can mean mother, hemp, horse or scold
  • Tang means soup, candy or burning hot depending on tone

Your turn: Does your language use tones, and which Chinese tone is hardest for you?

Key words 生词

ChinesePinyinEnglishLevel
声调shēngdiàotone
第一声dìyīshēngfirst tone
听tīngto listenHSK 1
练习liànxíto practiseHSK 2
汤tāngsoupHSK 3

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