Learn Hanyu Pinyin in 24 Days

PREFACE
Learn Hanyu Pinyin

in 24 Days
-- A Guide for Beginners --
BY Min Min
http://www.learnchineseeveryday.com
Chinese is not a phonetic language. The pronunciation is not

related to the writing of Chinese characters. In general,
pronunciation cannot be derived from looking at Chinese
characters, although sometimes characters with common parts
have similar pronunciation.
Pinyin is a way to represent Chinese characters and
express the sounds in the Chinese language using the Roman
alphabet. means to join together, or spell out sounds. It is
a way to transcribe Chinese characters so people can pronounce
it. It serves the same purpose as the international phonetic
symbols used in dictionaries which show how English words
are pronounced.
Pinyin was adopted as the official system in China in 1958, and
has since become a standard form used by news agencies as
well as educational institutions. It is now generally recognized
as the standard for Romanization of Chinese throughout most of
the world. There are other systems that have been devised for
transcribing Chinese sounds into the Roman alphabet, but
Pinyin is the most accepted and widely used.
Pinyin is the basic foundation of your Chinese study. It teaches
you how to pronounce Chinese through phonetic spelling with
the English alphabet. (Although Pinyin and English both use the
Roman alphabet, many letters are not expressed with the same
sounds that English uses. About half the time letters in pinyin
represent different sounds from what they would in a typical

English word.) Without any knowledge of Pinyin, you won't be
able to learn how to pronounce Chinese characters properly, so
this is the absolute must-do course for those starting to learn
Chinese. Besides pronunciation, Pinyin is also the most
common method to input Chinese characters into a computer.
I dont think this can be over emphasized enough how
important these early stages of pronunciation practice are. As
once you have developed a bad pronunciation habit, it will be
very hard for you to break. You will be very glad you spent the
time you did practicing the basic and correct pronunciation of
Chinese.
HOW TO USE THIS AUDIO E-BOOK

This is a well-organized audio e-book and is a great
introduction of Hanyu Pinyin for the beginners. This e-book
consists of 24 lessons which are broken down into 5 main
sections:
Section 1 : Tones
Section 2 : Simple Vowels
Section 3 : Initials
Section 4 : Compound and Nasal Vowels
Section 5 : Pinyin Rules
This PDF e-book contains audios for Pinyin pronunciation. For

the audios to work, you need to open this e-book with Acrobat
Reader 9 or above. You can download the reader here:
( http://get.adobe.com/reader/ )
These are the audio icons:
In order to play the audio, click on these icons. For first time
playing the audio, you will be prompted with a security warning:
Some features have been disabled to avoid potential security
risks. Only enable these features if you trust this document.
You have to trust this document always in order for the audio
to work.
Ok, lets get started with Chinese Pinyin course! I hope you find
this audio e-book helpful!
NOTICE OF RIGHTS
Most of the content of this book are in the public domain. I
hereby waive all claim of copyright in this work; it may be used
or altered in any manner without attribution or notice to me.
Learn Hanyu Pinyin in 24 Days

2
LearnChineseEveryday.com
While you are under no obligation to do so, I would appreciate

it if you give me credit for any work of mine that you use, and
ideally, link back to the original. If you feel like spreading a
copy of this book, you may do so without payment.
NOTICE OF LIABILITY
The author has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the
information herein. However, the information contained in this
book is distributed without warranty, either express or implied.

3
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Day 18 : ang eng ing ong .
56
Day 19 : ia iao ..
58
Day 1 : Tones .
Day 20 : ian iang iong . ..
60
Day 2 : Rules of Tone Marks .
10
Day 21 : ua uo uai ..
62
Day 3 : a o e
13
Day 22 : uan uang an ..
64
Day 4 : i u
15
Day 23 : Spelling Rules ..
68
Day 5 : b p m f ..
19
Day 24 : Changes of Tones
73
Day 6 : d t n l
23
Day 7 : g k h ...
26
Day 8 : j q x
29
Day 9 : zh ch sh r .
31
Day 10 : z c s
34
Day 11 : y w .
37
Day 12 : ai ei ui
41
Day 13 : ao ou iu .
43
Day 14 : ie e
45
Day 15 : er .
48
Day 16 : an en ..
51
Day 17 : in un n ....
53

4
Section 1
Tones
()

5
DAY 1
Tones
In English, tones are used to indicate whether a sentence is a
general statement, a request or a command. Changing the tone in
English will change the mood or the emphasis of the sentence, but
not the meaning of the sentence. In Chinese, each word has a tone.
If you do not use the right tone, it could completely change the
meaning of the word.
Chinese tones () are especially difficult for Western learners.
Comparing to English which only has rising tone and falling tone,
Chinese has four tones, including upper tone (), lower even
(), falling-rising tone () and falling tone (). There is
one more neutral tone, referred to by the Chinese as light sound
(). Each tone has a distinctive pitch contour which can be
graphed using the Chinese 5-level system as shown.
Relative pitch changes of the four tones
Chinese is a tonal language. Mastering the tones is the key to

speaking Chinese. Every Chinese character is a syllable with a
fixed tone. If the tone is wrong, the meaning is changed right away,
and in some cases corresponds with no existing Chinese character.
The reason for having these tones is probably that the Chinese
language has only very few possible syllables, approximately
400, while English has about 12,000. For this reason, there are
more homophones, words with the same sound expressing
different meanings, in Chinese than in English.

6
Lets see an example. While you are reading a book and your
brother (or sister or child) keeps on interrupting you. You are
likely to become annoyed and say Im trying to read a book!. In
English, this would be said with an emphatic falling tone at the end.
I am trying to read a book
The Pinyin system uses diacritics to mark the four tones. The
diacritic marks are placed over finals ( o e i u ). Table below
describes all the Chinese tones in details.
Tone
Mark
Description
1 st Tone
()
Flat or High Level Tone.

Like the reciting A B C D

In Chinese, (book) has a flat tone.

2 nd Tone
()
I want to read a book.

w yo kn sh
Rising or High-Rising Tone

Like a surprised Huh?

3 rd Tone
()
But if you use a falling tone for (book), as in English, the

meaning changes completely.
Falling-Rising or Low Tone

Like an indecisive Well

4 th Tone
()
Falling or High-Falling Tone

Like a purposeful Yes!

I want to see the tree.

w yo kn sh
5 th Tone
()
Neutral Tone
o e i u
Notes:
The tone marks are placed over the vowels. If the letter i has
a tone mark over it, the dot is omitted.

7
Tone Drills
Below are a few characters that have the same pinyin but with 4
different tones. Try to read each character aloud and make sure you
can pronounce them correctly.
Sound
Characters
y
yn
yn
yn
yn
xu
xu
xu
xu

8
fi
fi
fi
fi
tng
tng
tng
tng
yo
yo
yo
yo
qing
qing
qing
qing
Neutral tones
Exercise 1.1:
Some syllables in Chinese are toneless or occur in the neutral tone.
Listen to the tongue twisters below. Try to mimic the sound as

closely as possible.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Particles are always in the neutral tone.

e.g.: ( le ) ( de )
The second half of a reduplicated word is often in the
neutral tone.
e.g.: gge(elder brother) mma
(mum) bba (dad) mimei
(younger sister).
Syllables such as zi that only have a fill-in function
(i.e. to make the word disyllabic) are toneless.
e.g.: bizi(cup), zhuzi(table),
yzi(chair).
The second syllable in compound words is sometimes
toneless and is so indicated in the text. In another
context it may have a full tone. Some people may
pronounce certain words with a tone, some without, as
in the word east side which may also be pronounced
as , particularly when r is added:
Tones are one of the biggest challenges for Chinese learners, but
they are indispensable for speaking and understanding Chinese.
Therefore it is very important to make sure that you get the tones
right before you start learning Chinese. So practice your tones!

9
Tongue Twister 1:
A mother who is riding on a horse thinks that it is slow and so
she curses it.
m ma q m , m mn , m ma m
m
Tongue Twister 2:
A little girl who is herding a cow finds it stubborn and so she
pinches it.
ni ni gn ni ni nng ni ni
ni ni
DAY 2
Rules for Tone Marks
The possible vowel combinations are listed below, with the vowel
that receives the tone marked as second tone.
a
ai
ao
ei
ia, iao
ie
io
o
Tone marks () in Hanyu Pinyin should always be placed over
finals ( o e i u ), not initials. When there is only one vowel in
a syllable, the tone mark is put above the final. However, when
there is more than one final in a row, you may be uncertain about
which final should take the tone mark. For example, if you are
given (tiao), is it tao, tio, or tia ?
3.
ua, uai
ue
e
If there is an , it will always take the tone mark.

If there is no , o or e will take the tone mark. (There are
no Chinese syllables in Pinyin that contain both o and e.)
Otherwise, the second vowel takes the tone mark.

10
iu
ou
Here are a few very simple guidelines that help to find the correct
final letter for the tone mark (when there is more than one):
1.
2.
uo
Exercise 2.1:
Put a correct tone mark on the following syllables:
1. bao - 4th tone
2. guo - 3rd tone
3. tie - 3rd tone
4. ke - 3rd tone
5. jiao - 4th tone
6. mou - 3rd tone
7. que - 4th tone
8. qiu - 2nd tone
9. gui - 1st tone

11
Section 2
There are 6 single finals ( ):

a
Single Finals
()

12
DAY 3
Examples 3.1:
a o e
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
ah
Open your mouth widely with the

tongue in the lowest vertically. The
lips are not rounded.
Like a in father.
Contract the tongue toward the root

direction and at the same time raise
the tongue to the half-high position
and round your lips. The mouth is half
open.
Like oor in poor.
Contract the tongue toward the root

direction and at the same time raise
the tongue to the half-high position.
Stretch the corners of the mouth
towards two sides slightly. The lips
are not rounded. The mouth is half
open.
Like ir in girl.

13
oh
goose
Examples 3.2:
Word
Exercise 3.1:
Choose the correct pinyin for each word:
Pinyin
Meaning
(elder) brother
gge
Word
Meaning
forehead
Choose One
1).
2).
3).
dad
bba
evil
1).
2).
3).
ppo
mother-in-law;
(dialect) grandmother
crocodile
1).
2).
3).

14
DAY 4
i u
Examples 4.1:
Word
Use the same tongue position as in

pronouncing Chinese i, then draw
your lips in to form a perfect circle as
small as possible.
Meaning
clothes
Place your tongue in the high position

and the tongue should touch the back
of the lower front teeth, at the same
time, stretch the corners of the mouth
towards two sides.
Like ea in beat.
Contract your tongue toward the root
and keep the tongue tip in the low
position. Make your mouth shape
rounded.
Like oo in wood.
Pinyin
crow
fish

15
Examples 4.2:
Word
Exercise 4.1:
Fill in the blank:
Pinyin
Meaning
chicken
Word
Meaning
Choose One
stomach
d __
cloth
pear
l __
donkey
girl

16
n __
Notes:
1. is written as u (without the 2 dots above) when it is used

with initial j, q, x, or y. Tough it is written as u, it is pronounced
as .
Examples:
j
j ( )
q ( )
x ( )
y ( )
2. In Chinese Pinyin system, there is no syllable with initial j, q,

x or y combines with final u.

17
Section 3
Initials
()

18
There are 21 initials ( ) (excluding y and w ):

b
zh
ch
sh
DAY 5
Examples 5.1: ( b p )
b p m f
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
pen
Completely close both lips and then

release the compressed air in the
mouth suddenly, keep the shape of
your lips as in pronouncing "o".
Like b in bore but voiceless.
Begin as pronouncing "b". But when

pronouncing
"p",
release
the
compressed air in the mouth to make
an aspirated sound.
Like p in put, but is invariably
produced with a strong puff of air.
It is pronounced by keeping the lips

tightly closed and the soft palate drops
to let the air out through the nose.
Like m in money.
The upper front teeth touch the lower

lip lightly and let the air escape
between them.
Like f in five.

19
eight
break
Examples 5.3: ( m f )
Examples 5.2: ( b p )
Word
Pinyin
Word
Meaning
Pinyin
Meaning
rice
steal
axe
pull up
scold
nose

20
Examples 5.4: ( m f )
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
Exercise 5.1:
For each Chinese character, select the correct answer from the
box below:
parents
fm
Word
Meaning
hair
rocking horse
mm
Buddha
husband and wife
ff

21
Answer
Word
Meaning
Answer
climb
wood
slope

22
DAY 6
Examples 6.1: ( d t )
Word
d t n l
Pinyin
Meaning
read
Put the tongue tips against the upper

teeth ridge to block the air and then
put it down to release the air suddenly.
Like d in door but voiceless.
It is pronounced in the same position

for "d", but explodes with a strong
puff of air. It is an aspirated equivalent
of "d".
Like t in team.
When producing this sound, the tip of

the tongue presses against the upper
gum to completely block the air
stream from the oral cavity and let the
air out through the nose.
Like n in need.
rabbit
ladder
When producing this sound, the

tongue tip is a little behind the
position for "n" to allow the air to run
out from both sides of the tongue.
Like l in look.
23
Examples 6.3: ( n l )
Examples 6.2: ( d t )
Word
Pinyin
Word
Meaning
Pinyin
Meaning
donkey
cocks crow
women
poison
pagoda
pear

24
Examples 6.4: ( n l )
Word
Exercise 6.1:
Pinyin
Meaning
deer
Word
Meaning
Answer
road
1).
2).
pull
spit
1).
2).
1).
2).

25
t
d
angry
six
li
l
n
l
n
DAY 7
Examples 7.1:
Word
g k h
Pinyin
Meaning
drum
Raise the root of the tongue and let it

touch the soft palate so that the air
stream is stopped, lower your tongue
quickly and let the air out.
Like g in girl but voiceless.
The tongue position of producing this

sound is the same as "g", but explodes
with a strong puff of air.
Like k in kick.
It is pronounced by raising the back of

the tongue to the soft palate to make a
narrow passage for the air to be
expelled with friction.
Like h in heart.
cough
tiger

26
Exercise 7.1:
Examples 7.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
Word
river
Meaning
pigeon
Answer
1).
2).
3).
card
cry
1).
2).
3).
drink
bone
1).
2).
3).

27
g
k
h
g
k
h
g
k
h
Extra Activity: Tongue Twisters ro ku lng

Listen and practice each phrase slowly, then practice them quickly.
Here are the 3 words that you need to pay attention to:
(t zi) rabbit
(k zi) pants
(d zi) stomach; belly
xio t zi zu k zi
ling le k zi ling d zi
zu ho k zi t b shng d zi
xio t zi kn k zi
b zh sh mi ling zhn k zi
Meaning:
A little rabbit was making pants. He measured out the fabric for
the pants and measured his waist, made the pants, but can't pull it
up. The little rabbit looked at the pants, and doesn't know if he
measured the pants wrong or measured his waist wrong.

28
hi sh mi ling zhn d zi
DAY 8
Examples 8.1:
Word
j q x
Pinyin
Meaning
saw
Raise the front part of the tongue to

touch the hard palate, then let the tip
of your tongue touch the back of the
lower teeth and produce this sound by
letting the air squeeze out between the
surface of the tongue and the palate.
Like j in jeep.
The manner and place of articulation

are the same as in pronouncing the "j",
however, "q" is an aspirated sound.
Like cheek, with the lips spread wide
with ee.
The place of articulation is the same as

in producing "j" and "q". However, for
"j" and "q", the air stream initially is
blocked and then forced out, while for
x, the air stream is not blocked
during the whole pronouncing process.
Like she, with the lips spread and the
tip of your tongue curled downwards
and stuck to the back of teeth when
you say ee.
29
flag
mat
Exercise 8.1:
Fill in the blank with the correct Pinyin
Examples 8.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
Word
lift up
jq
Sentence
mimei
____
mma
____
mm
beard
hx
hen
mj

30
DAY 9
zh ch sh r
zh
Turn up the tongue tip against the

front part of the hard palate to block
the air and then release the air through
the narrow air passage between the
tongue tip and the hard palate.
Like dge in judge.
ch
The place of articulation is very

similar to "zh", but the air should be
forced out through the narrow
passage. It is an aspirated equivalent
of "zh".
Like ch in teach.
sh
It is pronounced by turning up the

tongue tip close to the hard palate to
make a narrow passage through which
the air escapes with friction.
Like sh in English.

31
The sound is produced by rolling up

the tip of tongue toward the front end
of the hard palate. Then let the
tongue tip touch the hard palate
lightly. Finally, let the air squeeze
out between the tongue tip and the
hard palate while vibrating the vocal
cords.
Like r in round.
Examples 9.1:
Word
Examples 9.2:
Pinyin
Meaning
Word
Pinyin
bamboo
Meaning
spider
zhzh
zh sh
sunrise
hot tea
rch
rch
stone carving lion
bookcase
shsh
shch

32
Exercise 9.1:
Word
Notes:
1. These 4 sounds are retroflexed, so make sure you feel your
tongue curled when you read them.
Meaning
paper
Answer
1).
2).
3).
4).
car
1).
2).
3).
4).
sand
1).
2).
3).
zh
ch
sh
r
2. For r, please be noted that in English when you pronounce

something like rain, your tongue is hung in your mouth without
touching anywhere inside. But to pronounce the Pinyin r, you just
make the front surface of your tongue close to the roof of your
mouth, as well as the curling advice.
zh
ch
sh
r
zh
ch
sh

33
DAY 10
z c s
Examples 10.1:
Word
c
s
It is produced by putting forward the

tongue tip to a position close to the
lower gum to make a narrow passage
between the tongue and the teethridge
for the air to run out with friction.
Like s in sound.

34
Meaning
clean / scrub
cx
It is pronounced by putting forward

the tongue to block the air with its tip
against the teethridge, and then drop
the tip to release the air with friction
through the narrow passage.
Like ds in clouds
The manner of articulation is very
similar to "z", but "c" is aspirated.
Like ts in cats.
Pinyin
footprint
zj
bodhisattva
ps
Exercise 10.1:
Examples 10.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
driver
Word
sj
Sentence
t b sh
______
______
le
porcelain
cq
letter
zm

35
de t g c d
Extra Activity: Tongue Twisters ro ku lng

Listen and practice each phrase slowly, then practice them quickly.
Here are the 3 words that you need to pay attention to:
(s) four
(sh) ten
(sh) is
s sh s sh sh sh
s b sh sh
sh b sh s
s chng sh sh s sh
Meaning:
Four is four, ten is ten. Four is not ten, ten is not four. Four times
ten is forty. Four plus ten is fourteen.

36
s ji sh sh sh s
DAY 11
y w
Examples 11.1:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
crow
wy
Like y in yesterday, but it can be

produced with slight friction.
dentist
yy
Like w in wood, but it can be

produced with slight friction.
ants nest
y w

37
Exercise 11.1:
Examples 11.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
Mallard duck
yy
Word
Sentence
____
zi
roof tiles
w w
____ ____
raincoat
yy

38
Notes:
with vowel(s) after u
1. y and w are special sign in Hanyu Pinyin. When acting as

initials, they retain their sounds or are silent in the cases of yi
and wu. When they act as the first part of a final, w is
represented as u, and y is represented as i or .
2. When there is no initial before finals starting with i, y shall be
added as initial.
i. If there is another vowel after i, i should be changed to y.
Example:
with vowel(s) after i
Final
-ua -uo -uai
-uei
-uan
-uen
-uang
-ueng
Syllable
wa
wai
wei
wan
wen
wang
weng
Word
ii.
If there is no other vowel after u, add w before u.

without vowel after u
Final
-u
Final
-ie
-iou
-ian
-ia
-iang
-iao
-iong
Syllable
wu
Syllable
ye
you
yan
ya
yang
yao
yong
Word
Word
ii.
If there is no other vowel after i, add y before i. Example:
wo
4. In column of finals, when the syllable is in zero initial,

whether there is another vowel after the u or not, add y before ,
and the two dots on the must be omitted.
without vowel after i

Final
-i
-in
-ing
Syllable
yi
yin
ying
Word
Final
Syllable
-
yu
-e
yue
-an
yuan
-n
yun
Word
3. When there is no initial before finals starting with u, w shall be

added as initial.
i. If there is another vowel after u, change u to w.

39
Compound finals ( ):
Section 4
Compound &
Nasal Finals
( & )

40
ai
ei
ui
ao
ou
iu
ie
er
ia
iao
ua
uo
uai
Nasal finals ( ):
an
en
in
un
ang
eng
ing
ian
iang
iong
uan
uang
ong
DAY 12
Examples 12.1:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
queue up
ai ei ui
pidu
ai
Like eye or vowel sound in fly
boiling water
ei
Like the long a in English vowel as

in pay and eight.
ui
Like ay in way.
kishu
cover oneself with quilt
gi bi

41
Exercise 12.1:
Examples 12.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
tortoise
Word
gu
Sentence
mma q shchng
______
sea
hi
bba zi
fly
fi

42
______
DAY 13
ao ou iu
ao
Examples 13.1:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
shake one's head
yotu
Like ow in cow.
beef
ou
iu
niru
Like oa in boat.
Like yo in yo-yo.
morning exercises
zoco

43
Exercise 13.1:
Examples 13.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
the right hand
yushu
Word
Sentence
______
hn du lw
run away
tozu
yu
din; hubbub
chono

44
______
zi ch co
DAY 14
Examples 14.1:
Word
ie
e
Meaning
white snow
ie e
Like ye in yellow or yes.
Pinyin
bixu
butterfly
Nothing really close in English. Listen

and repeat.
hdi
moonlight night
yuy

45
Exercise 14.1:
Examples 14.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
sparrow
mqu
Word
Sentence
Ddi i ch
______
hunt
dli
street
jido

46
______ zid
Notes:
1. e is written as ue (without the 2 dots above) when it is used
with initial j, q, x, or y.
Examples:
j
ju ( )
qu ( )
xu ( )
yu ( )
2. There is no final ue in Pinyin system.

47
DAY 15
er
er
Examples 15.1:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
ear phone
rj
Put your tongue and lip in position as

when pronouncing Chinese e, then
raise the middle part of your tongue
slightly and at the same time roll up
the tip of your tongue backward.
Like er in butter in American English
pronunciation.
rabbit
t r
number 2
d'r

48
Exercise 15.1:
Examples 15.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
ear
Word
Meaning
erhu
rduo
Choose One
1).
2).
3).
rh
rh
rh
ear-piercing
bait
c'r
1).
2).
3).
daughter
n'r
donkey
1).
2).
3).

49
y'r
y'r
y'r
l r
l r
l r
Notes:
1. The final er is different from initial r.
2. The final er cannot follow any initial, but it can be a syllable by
itself.
e.g.:
r ( , son ) and
r ( , ear ).
3. The final er can be combined with another final in the preceding
syllable to form a retroflex ending. A retroflex final is indicated by
the letter r at the end of a syllable. The Chinese character for
retroflex final is (r).
4. (r) can be added to a noun to give the meaning lovely,
small or friendly, or it can totally change the meaning of the noun.
e.g. :
nior - a small bird,
hur- lovely flowers
tur- leader.
( means head. When is added to , it totally changes the
meaning of the word)

50
DAY 16
an en
an
The a sound with an n.
en
The e sound with an n.
Examples 16.1:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
beach
hitn
guard the entrance/door
knmn
stripe
bnwn

51
Exercise 16.1:
Examples 16.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
the root of a tree
shn
Word
Sentence
T r de
______
sh hn
T zhn de hn
______
set out
qshn
bus stop
chzhn

52
DAY 17
in un n
in
Examples 17.1:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
handkerchief
shujn
Like in in bin.
get married
un
Like oon in spoon, but said faster.
Nothing really close in English. Listen

and repeat.
jihn
white clouds
bi yn

53
Exercise 17.1:
Examples 17.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
stick
Word
gn
Sentence
Gg zi shu
T zi l d
______
skirt
qn
wheel
ln

54
______
Notes:
1. n is written as un (without the 2 dots above) when it is used
with initial j, q, x, or y. Tough it is written as un, it is
pronounced as n.
Examples:
jn ( )
qn ( )
xn ( )
yn ( )

x or y combines with final un.

55
DAY 18
ang eng ing ong

ang
Pronounce a first and then ng.
eng
Pronounce e first and then ng.
ing
Pronounce i first and then ng.
ong
Pronounce o first and then ng.
Examples 18.1:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
lantern
dnglong
fall ill
shngbng
mantis

56
tnglng
Exercise 18.1:
Examples 18.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
dirty
Word
ngzng
Sentence
kite.
clank.
______
fly
cngying
worm
chng

57
__________
DAY 19
ia iao
ia
Examples 19.1:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
house
ji
Combination of i and a.
Like ya in Yahoo.
plus
iao
ji
Combination of i and ao.

Like eow in meow.
shrimp
xi

58
Exercise 19.1:
Examples 19.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
laugh
Word
xio
Meaning
watch
Choose One
1).
2).
3).
shubio
shubio
shupio
jump
shout
tio
1).
2).
3).
bird
summer
nio
1).
2).
3).

59
jiohn
jiohn
jiohn
xitin
xitin
xitin
DAY 20
Examples 20.1:
Word
ian iang iong
Pinyin
Meaning
homesick
xingji
ian
Like the Japanese currency

word Yen.
noodles
iang
Combination of i and ang.

Like young.
iong
Combination of i and ong.
mintio
fierce look
xingxing

60
Examples 20.2:
Word
Exercise 20.1:
Pinyin
qing
Meaning
gun
Word
Pinyin
little bear.
elephant.
______
electricity
din
poor
qing

61
______
DAY 21
ua uo uai
ua
Like wah.
uo
Like war.
uai
Examples 21.1:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
flower
hudu
break
shui hui
Combination of u and ai.

Like why.
talk
shuhu

62
Exercise 21.1:
Fill in the blank:
Examples 21.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
sit
Word
zu
Meaning
Pinyin
table
zh ____ zi
melon
gu
claw
zh ____
happy
handsome
shui

63
k ____ l
DAY 22
Examples 22.1:
Word
uan uang an
Pinyin
Meaning
go sightseeing
gungung
uan
Combination of u and an.

Like wan in wand.
uang
Combination of u and ang.
an
Combination of and an.
circle
yunqun
kungung

64
broad
Exercise 22.1:
Examples 22.2:
Word
Pinyin
Meaning
welcome
Word
hunyng
Pinyin
ship.
____
bed.
____
nervous
hungzhng
window
chungku

65
Notes:
1. an is written as uan (without the 2 dots above) when it is
used with initial j, q, x, or y. Tough it is written as uan, it is
pronounced as an.
Examples:
j
jan ( )
qan ( )
xan ( )
yan ( )

x or y combines with final uan.

66
Section 5
Pinyin Rules

67
DAY 23
Spelling Rules
In 1988, Basic Spelling Rules for Pinyin Orthography (
) (ZhengCiFa) was jointly promulgated by the
National Education Commission and National Language
Commission of China. By the spelling rules, spacing in pinyin is
based on whole words, not single syllables.
Example :
Chinese words
Pinyin based on Spelling Rules

(ZhengCiFa)
mma de shudi
Pinyin with syllable by syllable
m ma de shu di
English meaning
Mom's handbag
Although several manuals for word segmentation have been

published, [ including RLG Chinese Aggregation Guidelines (The
Research Libraries Group, Inc., 1987), Basic Rules of Chinese
Pinyin Orthography (State Education Commission and State
Language Commission, 1988), and Contemporary Chinese
Language Word Segmentation Specification for Information
Processing (National Standard, PRC, 1992) ], none of them would
cover every single detail in this process, due to the complex nature
of modern Chinese morphology and syntax.
In principle, it's possible to write Pinyin texts syllable by syllable. I
have been using non-ZhengCiFa method (syllable by syllable) for
Pinyin writing on my website (www.learnchineseeveryday.com). I
believe it is easier to read and understand for beginners who just
started learning Chinese.
If you dont like rules, you can just skip this long-winded lesson.
You can use syllable by syllable for you pinyin writing.
Admittedly, word segmentation is not an easy task. There are often

ambiguities in partitioning a word and grouping the syllable.
68
Rules of Pinyin Orthography

1. General
i. Single meaning:
Words with a single meaning are written together and not
capitalized. Examples:
rn ( , person )
pngyou ( , friend )
qiokl ( , chocolate )
ii.
ii.
ABAB:
Two characters duplicated (ABAB) are written separated.
Examples:
ynji ynji ( , to study, to research );
xubi xubi ( , snow-white )
iii.
Combined meaning (2 characters):

Words combined of two words to one meaning are written
together. Examples:
hifng ( , sea breeze );
wnd ( , Q&A );
qungu ( , the whole nation )
iii.
knkn ( , to have a look );

ninnin ( , every year )
AABB:
A hyphen is used with the schema AABB. Examples:
lili-wngwng ( , go back and forth );
qinqin-wnwn ( , numerous )
3. Nouns and Names

Nouns are written in one. Example:
zhuzi ( , table );
Combined meaning (4 or more characters):

Words with four or more characters having one meaning
are split up with their original meaning if possible.
Examples:
wfng gnggun ( , seamless steel-tube);
hunjng boh guhu ( , environmental
i.
protection planning)
ii.
Words of position are separated. Examples:

mn wi ( , outdoor );
h li ( , in the river );
huch shngmian ( , on the train)
iii.
Surnames are separated from the given name. Examples:

L Hu ( );
Wng Jinggu ( );
mtou ( , wood )
chngwyun ( , conductor );
hizimen ( , children )
2. Duplicated Words
i. AA:
Duplicated characters (AA) are written together. Examples:
rnrn ( , everybody );

69
Even if accompanied by a prefix and suffix. Examples:

fbzhng ( , vice minister )
iv.
Titles following the name are separated and are not

Wng bzhng ( , minister Wang );
L xinsheng ( , Mr. Li );
Tin zhrn ( , director Tian )
Verbs and their suffixes (-zhe (), -le () and -guo ()) are
written as one. Example:
knzhe/knle/knguo ( //, to see/saw/seen );
jnxngzhe ( to implement )
Note: le () as it appears in the end of a sentence is separated
v.
vi.
The forms of addressing people with Lo ( ), Xio

(), D () and A () are capitalized. Examples:
Xio Li ( , [young] Ms./Mr. Liu );
D L ( , [great;elder] Mr. Li );
A Sn ( , Ah San );
Lo W ( , [senior] Mr. Wu )
Proper names and general geographical names of places are
separated and the first letter of each of the names is
Bijng Sh ( , City of Beijing ),
Hbi Shng ( , Province of Hebei )
though. Example:
Huch do le ( , The train [has] arrived).
i.
Verbs and their objects are separated. Examples:

kn xn ( , read a letter );
ch y ( , eat fish);
ki wnxio ( , to be kidding)
ii.
If verbs and their complements are each monosyllabic, they

are written together, if not, separated. Examples:
gohui ( , "to make broken" );
ds ( , hit to death );
huwi ( , "to become damp" );
zhngl ho ( , to straighten out );
gixi wi ( , rewrite a screenplay );
vii.
Non-Chinese names translated back from Chinese are

written either in the original language or transcribed in
Roman letters. Example:
instn ( , Einstein );
Lndn ( , London )
5. Adjectives
A monosyllabic adjective and its reduplication are written as
one. Example:
mngmngling ( , daybreak );
lingtngtng ( , shining bright )
4. Verbs
70
i.
Complements of size or degree (as xi ( ), yxi (

), dinr (), ydinr ()) are written separated.
g gu ( , every nation );
g g ( , everyone );
mi nin ( , every year );
mu gngchng ( , a certain factory );
w xio ( , our school ).
Examples:
d xi ( , a little bigger );
kui ydinr ( , a bit faster )
6. Pronouns ()
i. The plural suffix -men () directly follows up. Examples:
wmen ( , we );
tmen ( , they )
ii. The demonstrative pronoun zh ( , this), n ( , that)
and the question pronoun n ( , which) are separated.
Examples:
zh rn ( , this person );
n c huy ( , that meeting );
n zhng bozh ( , which newspaper)
Note: Exeptions are: nli ( there), zhbian ( ,
over here), zhge ( , this piece), zhme ( , so),
zhmeyng ( , that way), and similar ones.
7. Numerals and Measure Words ()
i. Words like g /mi ( , every / , each), mu ( ,
any), bn ( , that), gi ( , that), w ( , mine, our), are
separated from the measure words following them.
Examples:
71
8. Function Words
Function words, like , are separated from
other words. Examples:
hn ho ( , be good/fine );
zu d ( , be the biggest );
zi qinmin ( , in the front );
n h w ( , you and I );
mnmn de zou ( , walk slowly );
N zhdo ma? ( , Do you know? );
A, zhn mi! ( , Ah, Its really beautiful! );
9. Set Phrases / Idioms
i.
Four-character Set Phrases that can be divided into two

halves are linked by a hyphen. Examples:
cngch-bqing ( , happened endlessly);
gungmng-lilu ( , be righteous )
ii.
All other four-character set phrases and well-known

expressions that cannot be readily segmented are linked.
Examples:
bylh ( , Isnt it a happy thing? );

imnngzh ( , Sorry that I cant help you )
10. Capital Letters
i. The letter at the beginning of a sentence is capitalized.
Examples:
Mngtian n q ma? ( , Are you going
ii.
tomorrow? )
The first letter of a proper noun is capitalized. Examples:
Bijng Dxu ( , Peking University );
Hung H ( , Yellow River )
11. Hyphenations
Care should be taken to hyphenate only between the syllables
of words and other linked expressions at the ends of lines of
running texts.
12. Apostrophes
In order to avoid confusion, an apostrophe is used before any
syllable that begins with a, e, or o, unless that syllable comes at
the beginning of a word or immediately follows a hyphen or
other dash. Examples:
Chng'n ( , Chang'an );
cho' ( , above quota );
d-r ( , number two )

72
DAY 24
Rule #1
1. If a 3rd tone is followed by a 3rd tone, the first 3rd tone
becomes a 2nd tone.
Changes of Tones
In Chinese, it happens that sometimes the tones of words change
depending on the tone of the word that precedes or comes after it.
Examples:
Sound
Meaning
Words / Prases
We change the tones of certain Pinyin syllable to improve the
n (n)
ho
pronunciation clarity. Today, we will learn when we need to make
hn (hn)
ho
ho (ho)
ji
shu (shu)
gu
those changes. Here are some rules and examples.
hello
very good
good wine
fruit
2. Although the first syllable is read in second tone, both of the

syllables are still written with third tones

73
Rule #2
2.
1. The word (b)no / not is pronounced in the 2nd tone

(b) when it is put before a syllable in the 4th tone. (or a
syllable in neutral tone developed from 4th tone.)
Example:
Sound
Words / Prases
b
xi
sh
cu
du
is still pronounced in the 4th tone (b) when it precedes a

syllable in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd tone.
Example:
Sound
Words / Prases
b
xn
li
ho
Meaning
not new
not come
Meaning
dont mention it.
no, it isnt.
not good
3. To simplify, is marked in the fourth tone b in Chinese

dictionary entries. In some Chinese textbooks, on the other
not bad
hand, it is marked according to the actual pronunciation.
wrong

74
Rule #3
2. The word (y) (one) is pronounced in the 4th tone (y) when
1. The word (y) (one) is pronounced in the 2nd tone (y) when
it precedes a syllable in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd tone.
it precedes a syllable in the 4th tone. (or a syllable in the

neutral tone developed from the 4th tone.)
Example:
Sound
Words / Prases
y
kui
wn
Meaning
a block
a piece
one time
ten thousand

75
Example:
Sound
Words / Prases
y
tin
nin
bi
Meaning
one day
one year
one hundred
3. The word (y) (one) is pronounced in the first tone (y) when
i.
y comes at the end of a word.
Example:
Sound
ii.
4. To simplify, is marked in the first tone y in Chinese

dictionary entries. In some Chinese textbooks, on the other
hand, it is marked according to the actual pronunciation.
Words / Prases
wn
wi
Meaning
in case
only
it acts as an ordinal number to indicate the number one.
Example:
Sound
Words / Prases
y
nin
ho
mng
Meaning
first grade
the first day of

month
the first place

76
g
k
h
Exercise 8.1:
q
x
Exercise 9.1:
zh
ch
sh
Exercise 10.1:
sp
shz
Exercise 11.1:
yz
wwa
Exercise 12.1:
mici
kihu
Exercise 13.1:
shudo
y tu ni
Exercise 14.1:
xugo
dido
Exercise 15.1:
rh
yr
lr
Exercise 16.1:
mnshn
ANSWER
Exercise 2.1:
1. bo
2. gu
3. ti
4. k
5. jio
6. mu
7. qu
8. qi
9. gu
Exercise 3.1:
Exercise 4.1:
d
l
n
Exercise 5.1:
f
f
p
m
p
Exercise 6.1:
l
t
n
Exercise 7.1:
77
nnkn
Exercise 17.1:
jnxn
tqn
Exercise 18.1:
fngzheng
dngdng
Exercise 19.1:
shubio
jiohn
xitin
Exercise 20.1:
xio xing
d xing
Exercise 21.1:
zhu z
zhu
kui l
Exercise 22.1:
chun
chung

78
REFERENCES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin/
http://mandarin.about.com/
http://pinyin.info/
http://www.pinyinpractice.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/chinese/real_chinese/
http://www.pinyinology.com/zhengcifa/zhengcifa.html

79

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