Pronunciation Exercises

1. Four tones drills with an, ang, en, eng, ong.

2. Sound and tone discrimination

gāo péng mǎn zuò (a house full of distinguished guests)

huā hóng liǔ lǜ (blooming flowers and green willows: beautiful scenery)

3. Four tones drills with ian, in, iang, ing and iong

4. Sound and tone discrimination

Xīn míng yǎn liàng (to see and think clearly)

Xīn lǐng shén huì (to understand tacitly)

Bā xiān guò hǎi, gè xiǎn shén tōng (like the Eight immortals crossing the sea, each one showing his or her special prowess.)

5. Four tones drills with zh, ch, sh, r

6. Sound and tone discrimination

(3) Cháng Jiāng hòu làng tuī qián làng, shì shàng xīn rén gǎn jiù rén. (Just as the waves of the Yangtze River behind drive on those ahead, so does each new generation replace the old one.)

7. Read the following tongue twister

8. Read the following poem, paying attention to the tones and pronunciation.

Dēng GuānQuè Lóu

By Wáng Zhīhuàn

Bái rì yī shān jìn,

Huáng Hé rù hǎi liú.

Yù qióng qiān lǐ mù,

Gèng shàng yī céng lóu.

I stand up in Stork Tower watching the sun slowly sink behind the mountains in the west.

I also see the vast Yellow River surging toward the sea.

If I want to see the view even further off in the distance,

I must climb up even higher in the tower.