Tone sandhi – First-Year Chinese Learning Hub

What is Tone Sandhi?

Tone Sandhi is a phonological phenomenon in Mandarin Chinese, where the tone of a syllable can change when it is in certain positions within a sentence. It is a feature that is unique to Mandarin and is important for native speakers to understand and apply correctly for natural speech.

It’s essential to note that these tone changes happen in connected speech and are not reflected in the standard Pinyin representation. When learning Mandarin Chinese, understanding and correctly applying Tone Sandhi is crucial for natural and fluent communication. Native speakers typically use these tone changes unconsciously, but they are an essential part of spoken Mandarin.

Tone Sandhi of the Third Tone:

3+3 → 2+3

In Mandarin Chinese, when two consecutive third tones (low-falling tones) occur within the same morpheme, the first third tone changes to a second tone (rising tone). The reason for this change is to make pronunciation more natural and easier to flow in connected speech.

nǐhǎo (vp. hello. Note that this word is used for greeting between strangers)

hěnhǎo (adj. very good):

lǎoshǔ (n. mouse; rat):

Lǎolǐ (n. The term “Lao Li” is a Chinese way of addressing someone named Li, often used to refer to an older man or someone with whom the speaker is familiar and respectful. “Lao” means “old” or “elder,” and it’s commonly used as an affectionate or respectful prefix before a surname or given name. So “Lao Li” could be translated as “Old Li” or “Elder Li.”)

xiǎngmǎi (vp. want to buy):

hǎojiǔ (np. good wine)

Lǎolǐ xiǎngmǎi hǎojiǔ (Lao Li wants to buy good wine.)

Half Third Tone:

3 → low tone + 1, 2, 4

When a third tone is followed by the first, second, or fourth tone, the third tone loses its rising part and only retains the falling pitch, making it a “Half Third Tone.”

A “Half Third Tone” is essentially a low-guttural tone that falls slightly and remains there without rising.

The full third tone is typically only realized when it is phrase-final or when it stands alone.

Běijīng (n. Beijing):

lǎoshī (n. teacher):

Měiguó (n. America)

wǎngqiú (n. tennis)

hǎokàn (adj. good-looking; nice)

fǎlǜ (n. law)

Modified 4th Tone:

4 + 4 → half fourth tone + 4

When a fourth tone is followed by another fourth tone, the first one becomes a variant of the regular fourth tone or halffourth tone as illustrated below.