KI1040 Chinese Basic Training

Study Material 1
Week 36

Dear students:
During the first 3 weeks we will go through basic Chinese pronunciation and Pinyin system.

Week 36: Chinese Consonants, Chinese Finals with combination of tones

Week 37: Pinyin of Chinese character combinations
Week 38: Review, prepare for on-line meeting that will be held on 22nd September
Study Material and Assignments will be put on Fronter Course Material on each Monday.
Please go through the materials carefully and submit the assignments before deadline to
FronterHand-in.
If you have any questions concerning the study materials or assignments, please dont
hesitate to contact Teacher Yang (tjn@du.se).

Pronunciation Drill 1:
initials and finals

Chinese Pinyin system ( pn yn)

Pinyin system is the official phonetic system for transcribing
the Mandarin pronunciations of Chinese characters into the
Latin alphabet. Since it is a system used to dinote
pronunciation of the Chinese characters or character
combinations pinyin is normally associated with Chinese
characters. They are seldom used independently.

Pinyin looks like latin alphabet, it is possible that the learners

are influenced by the pronunciation of their own language
alphabet. Thus it is very important for beginners to learn the
pronunciation correctly. Since different pinyin lead to different
Chinese characters, if the pronunciation is wrong it may lead
to totally different characters or character combinations, and
this in turn may lead to misunderstanding.
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Chinese Pinyin system ( pn yn)

The pronunciation and spelling of Chinese
characters are generally given in terms of initials (
shng m) and finals ( yn m), which
represent the segmental phonemic portion of the
language. Initials are initial consonants, while finals
are all possible combinations of vowels or
semivowels.
Pinyin syllables often contain of an initial and a
final. In drill 1 you will learn the pronunciation of
initial consonants and finals, and syllables that
combine the initials and finals.

Initials (Consonants)
b
d
g
j
zh
z

p
t
k
q
ch
c

m
n
h
x
sh
S

f
l

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(*All syllabuses are pronounced in First Tone.)
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Finals
a

o e ai ei ao ou an en ang eng ong er

ie
iao iu ian in iang ing
iong
i ia
uai ui
uan un uang ueng
U ua uo
e
an n

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(*All syllabuses are pronounced in First Tone.)
7

Initials in Mandarin
combine with finals a or ia
Bilabial
Stop (unaspirated)
Stop (aspirated)
Nasal

Fricative (voiceless)

Labiodental

dental

ba
pa
ma

alveolar

fa

sa

Lateral

Affricate (aspirated)

palatal

da
ta
na

Fricative (voiced)

Affricate (unaspirated)

retroflex

velar

ga
ka

sha
ra

xia

zha
cha

jia
qia

ha

la
za
ca

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(*All syllabuses are pronounced in First Tone.)

Initials in Mandarin
following Chinese convention
Bilabial

Stop (unaspirated)
Stop (aspirated)

Nasal
Fricative (voiceless)

Labiodental

dental

bo
po
mo

alveolar

retroflex

palatal

de
te
ne
fo

si

Fricative (voiced)
Lateral
Affricate (unaspirated)
Affricate (aspirated)

velar

ge
ke
shi
ri

xi

zhi
chi

ji
qi

he

le
zi
ci

See also: http://youtu.be/b9Ayvjy-Dgs

9

Finals in Mandarin (1)

-a

-an

-ang

-ai

-ao

ng

bn

bng

bi

bo

pn

png

pi

po

mn

mng

mi

mo

fn

fng

dn

dng

di

do

tn

tng

ti

to

nn

nng

ni

no

ln

lng

li

lo

gn

gng

gi

go

kn

kng

ki

ko

hn

hng

hi

ho

10

Finals in Mandarin (2)

-i

-a

-an

-ang

-ai

-ao

zh

zh

zh

zhn

zhng zhi

zho

ch

ch

ch

chn

chng chi

cho

sh

sh

sh

shn

shng shi

sho

rn

rng

ro

zn

zng

zi

zo

cn

cng

ci

co

sn

sng

si

so

11

-o

Finals in Mandarin (3)

-er

-e

-en

-eng

ng

-ei

-ou

-ong

bn

bng

bi

pn

png

pi

pu

mn

mng

mi

mu

fn

fng

fi

fu

di

du

dng

tu

tng

dng

tng

nn

nng

ni

nu

nng

ln

lng

li

lu

lng

gn

gng

gi

gu

gng

kn

kng

ki

ku

kng

hn

hng

hi

hu

hng
12

Finals in Mandarin (4)

-e

-en

-eng

-ei

-ou

-ong

zh

zh

zhn

zhng

zhi

zhu zhng

ch

ch

chn

chng

sh

sh

shn

shng

rn

rng

zn

zng

cn

sn

chu chng
shi

shu
ru

rng

zu

zng

cng

cu

cng

sng

su

sng

zi

13

Finals in Mandarin (5)

-i

-ia

-iao

-ie

-iu

-ian

-in

-iang

-ing

-iong

yi

yo

yu

yn

yn

yng

yng

yng

b b

bio

bi

bin

bn

bng

p p

pio

pi

pin

pn

png

m m

mio mi

mi

min

mn

mng

d d

dio

di

di

din

dng

tio

ti

tin

tng

n n

nio

ni

ni

nin

nn

ning nng

lio

li

li

lin

ln

ling

li

lng

14

Finals in Mandarin (6)

-i

-ia

-iao

-ie

-iu

-ian

-in

-iang

-ing

-iong

ji

jio

ji

ji

jin

jn

jing

jng

jing

q q

qi

qio

qi

qi

qin

qn

qing qng

qing

x x

xi

xio

xi

xi

xin

xn

xing xng

xing

15

Finals in Mandarin (7)

-

-e

-an

-n

yu

yun

yn

ju

jun

jn

qu

qun

qn

xu

xun

xn

16

Finals in Mandarin (8)

-u

-ua

-uo

-uai

-ui

-uan

wi

wi wn

-un

-uang

-ueng

wn wng

wng

m m
d

du

du

dun

dn

tu

tu

tun

tn

nu

nun

lu

lun

ln

gu

gu

gui

gu

gun

gn gung

ku

ku

kui

ku

kun

kn

hu

hu

hui

hu

hun

hn hung

kung
17

Finals in Mandarin (9)

-u

-ua

-uo

-uai

-ui

-uan

-un

zh

zh

zhu

zhu

zhui

zhu zhun zhn

zhung

ch

ch

chu chui chu chun chn

chung

sh

sh shu shu shui

ru

ru

run

rn

zu

zu

zun

zn

cu

cu

cun

cn

su

su

sun

sn

shun shn

-uang

shung

18

Pronunciation Drill 2:
tones

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Tones (shng dio)

Mandarin has four tones. Since many characters have the same
sound, tones are used to differentiate words from each other:
Tone 1: High level, which is like speaking in monotone. It is
marked with .
Tone 2: Rising, which sounds like a question to English
speakers. It is marked with .
Tone 3: Low falling-rising versio, or just low. The low version is
used most often in speech. The falling-risingversion is
restricted to a syllable in isolation or a syllable at the end of a
centence. It is market with .
Tone 4: High falling. When you offer a firm, monosyllabic
answer in English, the intonation is very similar to this
Mandarin tone. Tone 4 is market with ` .
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Tones (shng dio)

21

Tones (shng dio)

It is very important to pronounce tones correctly. As mentioned
before, many Chinese characters have the same pronunciation but are
in different tones. If the tones are pronounced wrong different
characters can be denoted.
For example:
The character combination for unemployed is , pronounced
as sh y. The first character should be in first tone. If it is
pronounced as second tone it may probably lead to the character
combination sh y, which means industry.
In pronunciation drill 2, you will practise pronunciation of the tones in
different syllables. Characters are given to the syllables, however, you
do not have to remember the characters.

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Examples for the same syllables in four

tones

b
g
m
zh
cn

b
g
m
zh
cn

b b
g
g
m m
zh zh
cn cn

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(pay attention to the differentiation of the tones)
23

bi

bi

bo bn bn bng bng

bi

bio bin bn

bng

pi

po pu pn pn png png

pi

pio pin pn

png

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(pay attention to the differentiation of the tones)

24

mi mo mu mn mn mng

mng m mi mio mi min mn mng

fi

fu

fn

fng fn fng

de

di

di

dng d

di

dio di

din dng

do
(as a verb)

du dn dng

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(pay attention to the differentiation of the tones)

25

ti

to tu tn tng tng t

ti

tio tin tng

ne

ni ni no nu nn nng nng

ni nio ni nin ning nn nng

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(pay attention to the differentiation of the tones)

26

le

li

li

lo lu ln lng lng

li

lio li

lin ling ln lng

gi

gi

go gu gn gng

gn gng

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(pay attention to the differentiation of the tones)
27

ki

ku kn kng kn kng

hi

hi

ho hu hng hn hng

ji

ji

jn

jng

jio ji

jin jing j

ju

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(pay attention to the differentiation of the tones)

28

qi

qi

qio qi qin qing q qu

qun qn qng

xi

xi

xio xi

xin xing x xun

xn

xng

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(pay attention to the differentiation of the tones)

29

zh

zh zh zhi zho zhu zhn zhng

zhn zhng

ch

ch ch chi chu chn chng chn

chng

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(pay attention to the differentiation of the tones)

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sh

sh sh shi sho shu shn shng

shn shng

ro

ru rn

rng rn

rng

zi

zo zu zng zn zng

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(pay attention to the differentiation of the tones)

31

ci

co cu cn cng cn

si

so su sn sng sn

cng

sng

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(pay attention to the differentiation of the tones)

32

yo yu yn yng y

yu

yn yun yng yn yng

w w w

wi wi wn wn

wng wng

Click the audio icon to listen to the teachers recording.

(pay attention to the differentiation of the tones)

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