Four tones and five tones in speaking Chinese

To master in speaking Chinese, you need to know the basic knowledge of the speaking Chinese.

As we know, Mandarin Chinese has four tones , which clarify the meanings of words. The tones, just like consonants and vowels, are used to distinguish words. Because many characters have the same sound, tones are used to differentiate words from each other.

The four tones in Mandarin are:

• high level – first tone
• rising – second tone
• falling rising – third tone
• falling – fourth tone

Unfortunately, as non-native Chinese, we cannot remember those tones even though there are only 4 tones, especially we haven't heard them recently.

So it is better to associate some emotion with each of them. Here are a good example from an article which called 'Master the Tones'. It is very good as a reference.

1. 1st tone = transcendent, helpful, simplicity.

I love words that have the first tone because of their simplicity and how easy they are to sing out and pronounce correctly.

2. 2nd tone = insecure, unsure, questioning.

I sympathize with words that have the second tone because I’ve been unsure and insecure myself. I don’t blame them for sounding like questions.

3. 3rd tone = mischievous, mean-spirited, illusive, like a bird you’re trying to watch but he dives into the water and pops up where you aren’t looking.

I hate words with the third tone. They take more work and more time to pronounce. They change depending on the words near them. They seem to exist only to make my life more difficult.

4. 4th tone = angry, demanding, impatient.
I also like words that have the fourth tone because I can shout them out. These words give me a chance to vent. Usually, as a default, if I don’t know the tone of a word, I’ve found I’ll say it as a fourth tone involuntarily.

The fifth tone

Yes, there are 5 tones, the last one is Neutral tone, also called zeroth tone (轻声 qīng shēng, literal meaning: "light tone"), neutral tone is sometimes thought of as a lack of tone. It usually comes at the end of a word or phrase, and is pronounced in a light and short manner.

The metaphor for the neutral tone

5th tone = secretive, deceptive, trying to trick me, won’t live up to his own identity.
I pretend not to care about syllables with the 5th tone. I act aloof, while really wondering what’s under that mysterious exterior.

When you are learning new vocabulary, you'd better to practice both the pronunciation of the word and its tone. The wrong tones can change the meaning of your sentences.

Here are some explanations in detail,

1. The first tone is a high, flat tone. Your voice stays flat, with no rise or dip in the way it sounds. e.g.
2. The second tone is a rising tone. Your voice rises when you say this, sort of as if you were asking someone to repeat something by saying "huh?" or "what?"
3. The third tone is a dipping tone. The way you say the word goes down then up. Such as when you say the letter "B".
4. The fourth tone is a lowering tone. Just say the whole word as if your voice is becoming more manly, or as if you're reading a book and have come across something new and interesting and are saying "huh". Easy enough? If not, don't fret. It's definitely recommended to hear the tones demonstrated from a native speaker, since it's hard to get an idea of what they sound like purely through text.

Once you master the four basic tones, you have to discover how they interact with each other in the sentence.

Best way to learn Mandarin Chinese is learning with Fun, enjoying it, then you will enjoy learning.

Reference
Choose the best way to learn Mandarin Chinese

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