声调
shēngdiào
The English phrase "tones" is translated into Chinese as 声调 (shēngdiào).
In linguistic contexts, 声调 refers to the pitch contours of syllables in Mandarin and other Chinese languages.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 声 (shēng), meaning 'sound' or 'voice' and 调 (diào), meaning 'tone' or 'melody'.
How does it change in a sentence?
声调 is a noun. It is typically used in the singular or plural sense without changing its form to indicate number.
How do you pronounce it?
shēngdiào
Did you know?
- The word 声 (shēng) in 声调 is also the root for words meaning 'reputation' or 'fame', as if a person's name is a sound echoing through a crowd.
- While Mandarin has four main 声调, some southern Chinese languages like Cantonese use up to nine different tones to distinguish meaning.
- The concept of 'tone sandhi' means that a word's 声调 can actually change its sound based on the specific word that follows it.
Examples in context
- mā (妈)Mother
- má (麻)Numb
- mǎ (马)Horse
- mà (骂)Scold
- 汉语的声调很难学。Hànyǔ de shēngdiào hěn nán xué.Chinese tones are difficult to learn.
- 你的声调非常标准。Nǐ de shēngdiào fēicháng biāozhǔn.Your tones are very standard.
- 要注意每个字的声调。Yào zhùyì měi gè zì de shēngdiào.You must pay attention to the tones of every character.
Example conversation
浩然 is helping 佳怡 practice her Chinese pronunciation.
- 佳怡 Jiayi我的声调有问题吗？Wǒ de shēngdiào yǒu wèntí ma?Are there problems with my tones?
- 浩然 Haoran没问题，说得很自然。Méi wèntí, shuō de hěn zìrán.No problem, you speak very naturally.
- 佳怡 Jiayi太好了，谢谢你。Tài hǎo le, xièxiè nǐ.That's great, thank you.
- 浩然 Haoran不客气，继续加油。Bú kèqì, jìxù jiāyóu.You're welcome, keep it up.
