Lesson 8: Tone Combinations and Changes (Tone Sandhi)
This lesson explains how tones can change when syllables are combined in speech, a phenomenon known as Tone Sandhi (声調变化).
Third Tone Sandhi:
When two Third Tones occur consecutively, the first Third Tone changes to a Second Tone. (e.g., 你好 nǐ hǎo is pronounced ní hǎo).
When a Third Tone is followed by any other tone (First, Second, Fourth, or Neutral), it is often pronounced as a "half-Third Tone" (only the falling part). (e.g., 美国 měiguó, where 'měi' is a half-Third Tone).
Tone Sandhi of "一 (yī)":
"一" changes to Second Tone (yí) when followed by a Fourth Tone syllable. (e.g., 一样 yī yàng → yíyàng).
"一" changes to Fourth Tone (yì) when followed by a First, Second, or Third Tone syllable. (e.g., 一天 yī tiān → yìtiān).
It remains First Tone (yī) when used alone, in counting, as an ordinal number, or at the end of a word/phrase.
Tone Sandhi of "不 (bù)":
"不" changes to Second Tone (bú) when followed by a Fourth Tone syllable. (e.g., 不是 bù shì → búshì).
It remains Fourth Tone (bù) when followed by a First, Second, Third, or Neutral Tone syllable. (e.g., 不吃 bùchī).
Understanding and practicing these tone sandhi rules is essential for natural and accurate Chinese pronunciation and comprehension.