Mandarin Tone Pairs: Practising Tones in Two-Syllable Words

Tones on single syllables are only the beginning. Most words in modern Mandarin vocabulary have two syllables, and a tone's shape bends depending on the tones around it. Teachers have long used "tone pair" drills to train these transitions. With four tones plus the neutral tone, there are 20 combinations worth knowing.

Why pairs sound different

Pitch cannot jump instantly. When a first tone (high) is followed by a third tone (low), your voice has to drop between the syllables; when a third tone is followed by a first tone, it has to climb. Research by Yi Xu (1997) showed that the end of one tone and the start of the next are strongly shaped by each other, while the core of each tone stays recognisable. Practising pairs trains exactly these movements.

All twenty combinations

Tap each word to hear it. Try to say each row with the same pitch pattern across all examples.

* 3+3 is pronounced 2+3 because of third-tone sandhi: ní hǎo.

Tips for the tricky combinations

1 + 4: 工作, 音乐, 希望

Keep the first syllable high and level, then fall from that same height. Learners often let the first tone drift down so the fourth tone has nowhere to fall from.

2 + 3 and 3 + 2: 啤酒 vs 美国

In 2+3, rise and then drop low: pí up, jiǔ low. In 3+2, start low (no dip-and-rise on the first syllable) and then rise: Měi low, guó up. These two patterns are mirror images, and confusing them is one of the most common tone errors.

3 + 1: 北京, 老师, 首都

Say the third tone as a half third tone, low and without a rise, then jump to the high first tone. Běi low, jīng high.

4 + 4: 再见, 在这, 最后

Both syllables fall, but the first fall is usually shorter and does not go as low, so the second can start high again. Do not let the second syllable start from where the first ended.

4 + 1: 面包, 汽车

After the fall, you need to jump back up to a high level tone. This large movement is often under-done.

A practice method

1. Work row by row. Take one first-syllable tone and practise all five second-syllable tones after it. This isolates the transitions.
2. Hum first. Hum the pitch pattern ("mm-mm") before saying the word.
3. Use nonsense syllables. Say mā-mǎ, má-mà and so on, so that vowels and consonants do not distract you.
4. Record and compare. Record yourself reading a row and compare with the audio. Listen especially to the transition between syllables.
5. Move to three-syllable phrases once pairs feel automatic: 我喜欢, 你好吗, 没问题.

Frequently asked questions

Why practise tones in pairs instead of single syllables?

Because most Mandarin words have two syllables, and each tone changes shape depending on its neighbours. A third tone sounds different before a first tone than before another third tone, and a fourth tone before a first tone often doesn't fall as far. Practising pairs trains the transitions you actually use.

Which tone pairs are hardest?

Learners commonly struggle with 2+3 and 3+2 (two low-ish tones that are easily confused), 4+4 (the second fall must start high again), and 1+4 (keeping the first tone high enough).

Should I practise 3+3 as 2+3?

Yes. Third-tone sandhi is automatic, so practise words like 你好 and 水果 with the pronunciation you will actually use: second tone followed by third tone.

Sources and further reading

• Xu, Y. (1997). Contextual tonal variations in Mandarin. Journal of Phonetics, 25(1), 61–83.
• Chen, Q. (1997). Toward a sequential approach for tonal error analysis. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, 32(1), 21–39.
• Duanmu, S. (2007). The Phonology of Standard Chinese (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Read More in This Topic

• The Four Tones of Mandarin Chinese: How to Hear and Say Them
• Mandarin Tone Sandhi: The Third Tone, 一 (yī) and 不 (bù)
• The Mandarin Neutral Tone and Erhua (the Beijing "R")

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