Chinese for dummies college book

Mandarin has only four tones. The best way to imagine what each of the four

tones sounds like is to visualize these short descriptions:

»» First tone: High level. The first tone is supposed to be as high as your

individual pitch range can be without wavering. It appears like this above the

letter a: ā. (Imagine saying “Ta Da-a-a-ah!” and you’ve got the first tone.)

»» Second tone: Rising. The second tone sounds like you’re asking a question.

(Think: “Huh?”) It goes from the middle level of your voice to the top. It doesn’t

automatically indicate that you’re asking a question, however — it just sounds

like you are. It appears like this above the letter a: á.

»» Third tone: Falling and then rising. The third tone starts in the middle level of

your voice range and then falls deeply before slightly rising at the end. It looks

like this above the letter a: ǎ. (Imagine someone being incredulous at

something, saying “Say whaaat?”)

»» Fourth tone: Falling. The fourth tone sounds like you’re giving someone an

order (unlike the more plaintive-sounding second tone). It falls from the high

pitch level it starts at. Here’s how it looks above the letter a: à. (This sounds more

like the rather blasé, “Oh,” once you’ve understood something — like the tone.)