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This final lesson in our introductory pinyin series covers syllable boundaries, r-coloured endings and tone changes in connected speech. Written pinyin and the way a syllable is pronounced in a sentence do not always match exactly.
The syllable-separating apostrophe
Use an apostrophe before a following syllable that begins with a, o or e when writing the syllables together. For example, 西安 is Xī’ān, whereas 先 is xiān. The apostrophe helps show the syllable boundary. 天安门 is Tiān’ānmén, Tiananmen Gate in Beijing. It is not a pause that you must insert into speech.
The r-coloured ending: erhua
In some words, especially in northern Mandarin, an r-coloured ending is written with r attached to the syllable: 玩儿 (wánr, to play). This is called 儿化 (érhuà). The 儿 in this construction does not form a separate syllable pronounced ér.
Erhua can express a colloquial or regional style, and sometimes distinguishes meanings. Compare 头 (tóu, head) and 头儿 (tóur, boss/leader, colloquial). It is not equally common in every Mandarin-speaking community, and you should not add r to words indiscriminately.
Listen to the whole word and imitate the r-colouring at its end. Do not insert an extra e vowel before r. A teacher can help you find a comfortable tongue position; you do not need to force an extreme tongue curl.
Tone changes in connected speech
Two third tones
When two third-tone syllables occur together, the first is normally pronounced with a rising, second-tone-like contour. Thus 你好 is usually written nǐ hǎo but pronounced approximately ní hǎo. Keep the usual dictionary tone marks in ordinary written pinyin. Longer sequences depend on how the words are grouped, so practise complete phrases with audio.
一: yī, yí or yì
一 is pronounced yī on its own, in counting and in ordinal uses such as 第一 (dì-yī, first). Before a fourth-tone syllable it normally becomes yí; before a first-, second- or third-tone syllable it normally becomes yì. In some verb repetitions, such as 看一看 (kàn yi kàn, have a look), it can be neutral.
The table explicitly shows the pronunciation change for learning purposes. Some dictionaries keep yī in their written pinyin, while learning materials may mark the changed tone.
| Chinese | Underlying tones | Spoken tones | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一些 | yī xiē | yì xiē | some |
| 一直 | yī zhí | yì zhí | continuously; all along |
| 一起 | yī qǐ | yì qǐ | together |
| 一边 | yī biān | yì biān | one side; while doing something |
| 一点儿 | yī diǎnr | yì diǎnr | a little |
| 一共 | yī gòng | yí gòng | altogether; in total |
| 一切 | yī qiè | yí qiè | everything |
| 一半 | yī bàn | yí bàn | half |
不 before a fourth tone
不 is normally bù. Before another fourth-tone syllable, it is normally pronounced bú. It keeps its fourth tone before other full tones, as in 不好 (bù hǎo, not good). Some unstressed constructions also use a neutral 不, such as 是不是 (shì bu shì).
| Chinese | Underlying tones | Spoken tones | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 不快 | bù kuài | bú kuài | unhappy; not fast, depending on context |
| 不错 | bù cuò | bú cuò | not bad; quite good |
| 不要 | bù yào | bú yào | do not want; do not |
| 不变 | bù biàn | bú biàn | unchanged; not to change |
Pronunciation practice
Practise these examples in small groups. A syllable with no tone mark has a neutral tone here. 风筝 is commonly pronounced fēngzheng; regional or dictionary pronunciations may differ. In contrast, yìngdù has two fourth tones. The expression húndàn is a vulgar insult, included for recognition rather than polite conversation.
| Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|
| fēngzheng | kite |
| shāfā | sofa |
| fēijī | airplane |
| qiūtiān | autumn |
| Zhōngguó | China |
| huānyíng | welcome |
| xīnqíng | mood |
| jīnnián | this year |
| shēntǐ | body |
| xiāngshuǐ | perfume |
| jīchǎng | airport |
| qiānbǐ | pencil |
| gōngzuò | work |
| chīfàn | eat meal |
| shēngqì | angry |
| yīyuàn | hospital |
| tāmen | they |
| gēge | older brother |
| zhīdao | know |
| zuótiān | yesterday |
| céngjīng | once |
| niánxīn | annual salary |
| niánqīng | young |
| chángcháng | often |
| Huáng Hé | Yellow River |
| wénmíng | civilization |
| rénmín | people |
| méiyǒu | do not have |
| rénkǒu | population |
| cháguǎn | tea house |
| chíjiǔ | lasting |
| chídào | be late |
| húndàn | bastard (vulgar insult) |
| nánkàn | ugly |
| yíyàng | the same |
| míngzi | name |
| shíhou | time; moment |
| péngyou | friend |
| xuésheng | student |
| lǎoshī | teacher |
| Běijīng | Beijing |
| ěrjī | headphone |
| shuǐbēi | cup |
| xiǎoshí | hour |
| kěnéng | maybe |
| shuǐpíng | level |
| Fǎguó | France |
| xiǎngfǎ | idea |
| guǎngchǎng | square, plaza |
| Kǒngzǐ | Confucius |
| hěnhǎo | well |
| zhǔfàn | to cook a meal |
| dǎoluàn | make trouble |
| xǐcài | to wash vegetables |
| zhǔyào | main |
| jiǎozi | dumplings |
| hǎoba | all right |
| wǎnshang | evening |
| zǎoshang | morning |
| kètīng | living room |
| qìchē | car |
| dàshēng | loudly |
| fùqīn | father |
| dìtú | map |
| sìshí | forty |
| lùnwén | academic paper |
| tòumíng | transparent |
| Rìběn | Japan |
| hànyǔ | Chinese language |
| Shànghǎi | Shanghai |
| xiàoguǒ | effect |
| zàijiàn | goodbye |
| hànzì | Chinese character |
| lǜsè | green |
| xìngyùn | lucky |
| xièxie | thank you |
| dìfang | place |
| bàba | dad |
| yìngdù | hardness (fourth + fourth tone) |
| nǎr | where |
| zhèr | here |
| yìdiǎnr | a little/ few |
| nǚháir | girl |
Keep practising
You have completed the introductory series, but pronunciation develops through continued listening and feedback. Record a few words, compare them with a reliable recording, and repeat in sentences. Review tones, initials and finals as needed.
For reference, see the Ministry of Education’s pinyin orthography rules and Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s tone-sandhi lesson.
