Just how important are the tones in Mandarin Chinese?
In this video, 3 experienced teachers answer your burning questions to set you up for continued success on your Mandarin learning journey!
Summary Of "Why Mandarin Chinese TONES are So Important!" From The Video Above
Mandarin Teacher Even:
nǐ hǎo!
你好!
Hello!
nǐ shì bú shì xiǎng wèn yì xiē
你是不是想问一些
Do you want to ask some questions
guān yú hàn yǔ xué xí dāng zhōng shēng diào de wèn tí?
关于汉语学习当中声调的问题?
about tones in Chinese learning?
jīn tiān wǒ jiù guān yú zhè xiē wèn tí,
今天我就关于这些问题,
Today, regarding these questions,
duì, gěi nǐ zuò yì xiē jiě dá.
对, 给你做一些解答。
Right, I will give you some answers.
dì yī gè wèn tí shì,
第一个问题是，
The 1st question is,
hé zhōng guó rén jiāo tán de shí hòu，
和中国人交谈的时候，
When talking with Chinese people,
shēng diào duì yú zì jǐ biǎo dá de xiǎng fǎ,
声调对于自己表达的想法,
In expressing your ideas,
hé zhōng guó rén tīng míng bái zì jǐ de huà,
和中国人听明白自己的话,
and for Chinese people to understand what you are saying...
shēng diào zài zhè ge guò chéng dāng zhōng shì yǒu duō zhòng yào?
声调在这个过程当中是有多重要?
How important are tones in this process?
wǒ xiǎng gào sù nǐ,
我想告诉你,
I want to tell you that,
shēng diào de zuò yòng fēi cháng de zhòng yào.
声调的作用非常地重要
the tones are very important.
shēng diào zuì dà de zuò yòng jiù shì qū fēn yǔ yì.
声调最大的作用就是区分语义。
The biggest function of tones is to distinguish meanings.
suǒ wèi de qū fēn yì yì jiù shì shēng diào de bù yí yàng，
所谓的区分意义就是声调的不一样，
the so-called distinction of meaning is that the tone is different，
tā de yì si yě huì bù yí yàng.
它的意思也会不一样。
its meaning will be different.
jǔ yí gè zuì jiǎn dān de lì zi.
举一个最简单的例子。
Take the simplest example.
yī gè zì: "tāng", "táng", "tǎng", "tàng".
一个字： "汤", "糖" , "躺", "烫" ,
One syllable : "soup", "sugar", "lie down", "hot".
tā de pīn yīn shì yí yàng de,
它的拼音是一样的,
Its Pinyin is the same,
kě shì tā de shēng diào bù yí yàng.
可是它的声调不一样。
but its tone is different.
tā de yì si yě bù yí yàng
它的意思也不一样
its meaning is also different.
tāng, tā de yì si shì soup.
汤，它的意思是soup。
"tāng" means soup.
táng, tā de yì si shì sugar or candy.
糖，它的意思是sugar or candy。
"táng" means sugar or candy.
tǎng, tā de yì si shì lie down.
躺, 它的意思是 lie down.
"tǎng" means lie down.
shuì xià lái.
睡下来
It means lie down to sleep,
ránhòu, tàng, tā de yìsi shì hot.
然后，烫，它的意思是hot.
then, tàng, it means hot.
suǒ yǐ rú guǒ nǐ xiǎng yào hē tāng,
所以如果你想要喝汤,
So if you want soup,
nǐ bù xiǎng yào chī táng,
你不想要吃糖,
and you don't want sugar,
nà nǐ yào fēn qīng chǔ tāng hé táng
那你要分清楚汤和糖
you have to distinguish between soup and sugar.
rú guǒ nǐ xiǎng yào shuì jiào shuì xià lái,
如果你想要睡觉睡下来,
If you want to sleep,
ránhòu nǐ bù xiǎng chī dōng xi,
然后你不想吃东西,
and then you don't want to eat,
nà nǐ yào fēn qīngchǔ tǎng hé táng.
那你要分清楚躺和糖。
then you need to distinguish between "lie down" and "sugar".
Hǎo le, nǐ kěyǐ kàn dào
好了，你可以看到
Alright, you can see
zhè sì gè shēngdiào duì tāmen de yìsi yǒu duō dà de zuòyòng.
这4个声调对它们的意思有多大的作用。
how much of an effect these 4 tones have on their meanings.
suǒ yǐ xiàn zài nǐ zhī dào le ma？
所以现在你知道了吗？
so now do you know?
xuéxí shēngdiào háishì hěn zhòngyào de.
学习声调还是很重要的。
Learning tones is still very important.
Mandarin Teacher Edith:
xué xí zhōng wén de shí hòu
学习中文的时候
When learning Chinese
rú guǒ nǐ de shēng diào bù zhǔn què
如果你的声调不准确
if your tones are not accurate
bié rén huì tīng bù dǒng nǐ de yì si，
别人会听不懂你的意思，
others will not understand what you mean,
huò zhě zào chéng wù huì。
或者造成误会。
or it might cause a misunderstanding.
ràng wǒ gěi nǐ jǔ gè xiǎo lì zi.
让我给你举个小例子。
Let me give you a small example.
bēi zi hé bèi zi zhè liǎng gè pīn yīn shì yí yàng de，
杯子和被子这两个拼音是一样的，
The pinyin of cup and quilt are the same,
dàn shì tā de shēng diào bù yí yàng.
但是它的声调不一样。
but their tones are different.
dì yī shēng de shí hòu shì bēi zi.
第一声的时候是杯子。
The first tone is a cup.
hē shuǐ yòng de.
喝水用的。
It's used for drinking water.
bèizi, dì sì shēng.
被子，第四声。
"bèizi" with the fourth tone.
shì nǐ shuì jiào de shí hòu lěng le gài bèi zi
是你睡觉的时候冷了盖被子。
It's the quilt you use when you get cold while sleeping.
suǒ yǐ rú guǒ nǐ shuō wǒ yào hē shuǐ,
所以如果你说我要喝水,
So if you say I want to drink water,
wǒ yào qù ná yí gè bèi zi hē shuǐ
我要去拿一个被子喝水
and I want to get a quilt to drink water,
zhè jiù huì nào xiào huà le
这就会闹笑话了
it will be a joke.
Mandarin Teacher Huiney:
Ok, nǐ hǎo!
Ok, 你好!
Ok, Hello!
dì yī gè wèntí，
第一个问题，
The first question is:
hé zhōngguó rén jiāotán shí，
和中国人交谈时，
When talking with Chinese people,
shēngdiào duìyú biǎodá zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ，
声调对于表达自己的想法，
In expressing your ideas,
hé zhōngguó rén tīng míngbái zìjǐ dehuà，
和中国人听明白自己的话，
and for Chinese people to understand what you are saying...
shēngdiào zài zhège guòchéng zhōng yǒu duō zhòngyào?
声调在这个过程中有多重要？
How important are tones in this process?
wèishéme?
为什么？
Why？
shēngdiào zài biǎodá zìjǐ de xiǎngfǎ，
声调在表达自己的想法，
Tones, in expressing your ideas,
hé shuō míngbái zìjǐ dehuà dāngzhōng，
和说明白自己的话当中，
and in making yourself understood,
wǒ juédé shì qǐ dào fēicháng zhòngyào de zuòyòng.
我觉得是起到非常重要的作用。
I think play a very important role.
yīnwèi shēngdiào bù yīyàng,
因为声调不一样,
Because when the tone is different,
nǐ shuō de zì hé yìsi dōu huì bù yīyàng.
你说的字和意思都会不一样。
the words you say and the meaning will be different.
bǐrú shuō: wěn hé wèn.
比如说: 吻和问。
For example: kiss and ask.
wěn, w-e-n, dì sān shēng,
吻，w-e-n， 第三声，
"wěn," w-e-n, third tone,
kěyǐ yìsi shì "kiss".
可以意思是 "kiss"。
it can mean "kiss".
wèn, w-e-n, dì sì shēng,
问，w-e-n, 第四声，
"wèn," w-e-n, fourth tone,
yìsi shì "ask".
意思是 "ask"。
it means "ask".
rúguǒ nǐ yào gēn biérén shuō nǐ xiǎng yào wèn yī gè wèntí,
如果你要跟别人说你想要问一个问题，
If you want to tell someone that you want to ask a question,
nǐ yīnggāi shuō：“ wǒ kěyǐ wèn nǐ ma？”
你应该说：“我可以问你吗？”
you should say "May I ask you?"
kěshì rúguǒ nǐ de shēngdiào bù hǎo，
可是如果你的声调不好，
But if your tone is not good，
nǐ shuō chéng：“ wǒ kěyǐ wěn nǐ ma？”
你说成：“我可以吻你吗？”
you may say "Can I kiss you?"
zhè huì bù huì nào yīgè xiàohuà ne?
这会不会闹一个笑话呢？
Will this be a joke?
Mandarin Teacher Even:
wǒ men lái kàn dì èr gè wèn tí.
我们来看第二个问题。
Let's look at the second question.
dì èr gè wèn tí shì
第二个问题是
The second question is
wǒ tīngshuō dāng Zhōngguó rén shuōhuà hěn kuài de shíhòu,
我听说当中国人说话很快的时候，
I heard that when Chinese people speak fast,
shíjì shang tāmen shì méiyǒu zhèngquè de shǐyòng shēngdiào de,
实际上他们是没有正确地使用声调的，
they actually don't use tones correctly.
yīncǐ wèishéme wǒ yào zàihū shēngdiào ne?
因此为什么我要在乎声调呢？
So why should I care about tones?
Wǒ bù yīnggāi jiù xiàng tāmen nàyàng shuō de hěn kuài jiù kěyǐ le ma?
我不应该就像他们那样说得很快就可以了吗?
Shouldn't I just speak quickly like they do?
wèi shén me？
为什么？
Why？
méi cuò,
没错,
That's right,
zài zhōng guó rén shuō huà hěn kuài de shí hòu,
在中国人说话很快的时候,
when Chinese people speak very fast,
shēng diào huì yǒu yì xiē biàn huà，
声调会有一些变化，
the tones will have some changes,
kěshì zhè bìng bù dàibiǎo shuō,
可是这并不代表说，
but this does not mean that
tāmen bìng méiyǒu zhèngquè de shǐyòng shēngdiào,
他们并没有正确地使用声调，
they are not using the tones correctly,
yě bù dàibiǎo shuō tāmen bù yào shǐyòng shēngdiào le.
也不代表说他们不要使用声调了。
nor does it mean that they do not need to use the tones.
shēngdiào duìyú yǔyì de qūfēn háishì cúnzài hěn dà de zuòyòng de.
声调对于语义的区分还是存在很大的作用的。
Tones still play a very significant role in distinguishing meanings.
nà...en...
那...嗯...
Well... um...
wǒ jǔ gè zuì jiǎn dān de lì zi.
我举个最简单的例子。
Let me give you the simplest example.
bǐ rú shuō wǒ zhè yàng gēn nǐ shuō：
比如说我这样跟你说：
For example, if I tell you this：
nǐ hǎo! Nǐ chī wǔfàn le ma?
你好！你吃午饭了吗？
Hello! Have you had lunch?
.......
shì bú shì tīng bù dǒng wǒ shuō de huà ne?
是不是听不懂我说的话呢？
Is it that you don't understand what I'm saying?
bú yào shuō nǐ,
不要说你,
Not to mention you,
qí shí zhōng guó rén,
其实中国人,
actually, even Chinese people，
rú guǒ zài tīng zhè yàng de shuō huà de shí hòu，
如果在听这样的说话的时候，
when they hear this kind of talk，
yě cháng cháng huì gǎo cuò wǒ dào dǐ shuō le shén me.
也常常会搞错我到底说了什么。
they often misunderstand what I am actually saying.
nà shì yīn wéi zài wǒ zhè yàng shuō huà de shí hòu,
那是因为在我这样说话的时候,
That's because when I talk like this,
wǒ bǎ shēng diào gěi ná zǒu le.
我把声调给拿走了。
I take away the tone.
ránhòu zhěng jù huà lǐ miàn méi yǒu de shēng diào，
然后整句话里面没有的声调，
Then, without the tones in the whole sentence,
yì si jiù hěn nán qū fēn le.
意思就很难区分了。
the meaning becomes very difficult to distinguish.
suǒ yǐ zài zhōng guó rén xiǎo shēng shuō huà de shí hòu，
所以在中国人小声说话的时候，
So when Chinese people speak in a low voice，
rú guǒ wán quán shì méi yǒu shēng diào de shuō huà，
如果完全是没有声调的说话，
if they speak completely without tone，
zhōng guó rén yě huì gǎo cuò yì si.
中国人也会搞错意思。
Chinese people will also get the meaning wrong.
suǒ yǐ yǒu de shí hòu wǒ men bù dé bù zhè yàng shuō huà.
所以有的时候我们不得不这样说话。
So sometimes we have to talk like this.
suī rán wǒ de shēng yīn hěn xiǎo shēng，
虽然我的声音很小声，
Although my voice is very low,
kě shì hái shì yào yǒu shēng diào.
可是还是要有声调。
it still needs to have tones.
nǐ kàn dào le ma？
你看到了吗？
Did you see that?
suǒ yǐ zài shēng diào shuō huà shuō dé hěn kuài de shí hòu，
所以在声调说话说得很快的时候，
So when the tones are spoken very fast,
shēng diào yǒu yì xiē biàn huà，
声调有一些变化，
there are some changes to the tones,
kě shì wǒ men hái shì huì xū yào de.
可是我们还是会需要的。
but we still need them.
suǒ yǐ zài nǐ gāng gāng kāi shǐ xué xí zhōng wén de shí hòu，
所以在你刚刚开始学习中文的时候，
So when you are just beginning to learn Chinese,
shēng diào jiù xiǎn dé gèng jiā zhòng yào le.
声调就显得更加重要了。
tones are even more important.
yīn wèi tā shì bāng zhù nǐ qù tīng dǒng bié rén de huà，
因为它是帮助你去听懂别人的话，
because it helps you understand what others say.
yě bāng zhù bié rén tīng dǒng nǐ de yì si.
也帮助别人听懂你的意思。
and also helps others understand your meaning.
Mandarin Teacher Edith:
dāng zhōng guó rén lián xù shuō huà de shí hòu，
当中国人连续说话的时候，
When Chinese people speak continuously,
qí shí yě shì yǒu shēng diào de.
其实也是有声调的。
they actually have tones.
dàn tā yǒu yīxiē fāyīn de guīzé.
但它有一些发音的规则
but there are some pronunciation rules.
shuō de kuài,
说得快,
When speaking fast,
bùtóng de shēngdiào tā huì dàibiǎo bùtóng de yìsi.
不同的声调它会代表不同的意思。
different tones still represent different meanings.
suīrán shuō de kuài，
虽然说的快，
Although spoken quickly，
dànshì tā yěshì yǒu tā jiànlì
但是它也是有它建立
it also has its patterns
zài tā de shēngdiào guīzé jīchǔ shàng de.
在它的声调规则基础上的。
and it is based on its tone rules.
nrúguǒ zuòwéi yīgè zhōngwén xuéxí zhě
那如果作为一个中文学习者
If, as a Chinese learner,
nà rúguǒ zuòwéi yīgè zhōngwén xuéxí zhě，
那如果作为一个中文学习者，
So if, as a Chinese learner,
nǐ shuō de yòu kuài，
你说得又快，
you speak fast，
dànshì nǐ de shēngdiào yòu bù zhǔnquè，
但是你的声调又不准确，
but your tones are not accurate,
nà zhōngguó rén jiù huì hěn nán lǐjiě
那中国人就会很难理解
then it will be difficult for Chinese people to understand
nǐ zài shuō shénme.
你在说什么。
what you are saying.
tóngyàng yīnwèi shēngdiào bù zhǔnquè，
同样因为声调不准确，
Similarly, because of inaccurate tones,
yě huì róngyì zàochéng wùhuì.
也会容易造成误会。
misunderstandings can also easily occur.
yīncǐ chūxuézhě shì xūyào duō huā yīdiǎn gōngfu，
因此初学者是需要多花一点功夫，
Therefore, beginners need to spend a little more effort,
duō tīng duō liàn zhège shēngdiào,
多听多练这个声调,
listen more and practice more tones,
nǔlì de zhǔnquè fāyīn.
努力地准确发音。
and strive to pronounce accurately,
nénggòu qīngchǔ biǎodá nǐ xiǎng yào shuō de yìsi.
能够清楚表达你想要说的意思。
Be able to articulate what you want to say.
Mandarin Teacher Huiney:
dì èr gè wèntí shì,
第二个问题是，
The second problem is，
wǒ tīng shuō
我听说
that I heard that
dāng zhōngguó rén shuōhuà hěn kuài de shíhòu，
当中国人说话很快的时候，
when Chinese people speak very fast,
shíjì shang tāmen shì méiyǒu zhèngquè de shǐyòng shēngdiào de，
实际上他们是没有正确地使用声调的，
they actually don't use their tones correctly.
yīncǐ wèishéme wǒ yào zàihu shēngdiào ne？
因此为什么我要在乎声调呢？
So why should I care about tones?
wǒ bù yīnggāi
我不应该
Shouldn't I
jiù xiàng tāmen nàyàng
就像他们那样
be like them
shuō de hěn kuài jiù kěyǐ le ma?
说的很快就可以了吗?
and just speak very fast?
wèishéme?
为什么?
Why?
zhōngguó rén zài shuō de hěn kuài de shíhòu,
中国人在说得很快的时候,
When Chinese people speak very fast,
tāmen bùshì tèbié zhùzhòng shēngdiào,
他们不是特别注重声调,
they don't pay much attention to tone,
yīnwèi zhèlǐ yǒu shàngxiàwén,
因为这里有上下文,
because there is context,
suǒyǐ ne, tāmen kěyǐ lǐjiě nǐ yào shuō de shì shénme
所以呢，他们可以理解你要说的是什么
so they can understand what you're saying.
kěshì rúguǒ nǐ zài shuō de shíhòu，
可是如果你在说的时候，
But when you are speaking,
nǐ rúguǒ yě kěyǐ shuō de hěn kuài，
你如果也可以说得很快，
if you can also speak very fast，
kěyǐ ràng rénjiā tīng míngbái，
可以让人家听明白，
and make people understand,
nà shì kěyǐ de.
那是可以的。
that's all right.
kěshì wǎngwǎng rúguǒ nǐ gānggāng kāishǐ xué zhōngwén，
可是往往如果你刚刚开始学中文，
But often if you're just starting to learn Chinese,
nǐ bù huì shuō hěnduō，
你不会说很多，
you won't be able to say a lot,
nǐ de shēngdiào，rúguǒ shuō de bù zhǔnquè de huà,
你的声调，如果说得不准确的话,
Your tones, if not spoken correctly,
biérén kěnéng jiù
别人可能就
others may not be
bùnéng hěn hǎo de lǐjiě
不能很好地理解
able to fully understand
nǐ xiǎng yào biǎodá de nèiróng hé yìsi.
你想要表达的内容和意思。
the content and meaning you want to express.
suǒyǐ yī kāishǐ xué zhōngwén de shíhòu
所以一开始学中文的时候
So at the beginning of learning Chinese,
zuì hǎo shì mànman de bǎ měi gè shēngdiào bǎ qīngchu bǎ hǎo.
最好是慢慢地把每个声调发清楚发好。
it is best to pronounce each tone clearly and correctly, slowly.
Mandarin Teacher Even:
dì sān gè wèn tí:
第三个问题:
The third question is:
zài yī kāi shǐ xué xí hàn yǔ de shí hòu，
在一开始学习汉语的时候，
When you start learning Chinese,
shì fǒu zhí dé fù chū hěn duō jīng lì
是否值得付出很多精力
is it worth putting in a lot of effort
lái huò dé liáng hǎo de tīng dào shēng diào
hé zhèng què shǐ yòng shēng diào de néng lì?
来获得良好的听到声调和正确使用声调的能力?
to acquire the ability to accurately hear
and correctly use tones?
wǒ kě yǐ zài yī kāi shǐ xué xí xīn cí shí，
我可以在一开始学习新词时，
When I start learning new words,
bù zài hū xīn cí de shēng diào，
不在乎新词的声调，
can't I ignore the tones of the new words,
zhǐ xiě pīn yīn bù dài shēng diào，
只写拼音不带声调，
just write the pinyin without tones,
ránhòu děng wǒ de hàn yǔ jí bié gāo de shí hòu，
然后等我的汉语级别高的时候，
and when my Chinese level is higher,
zài chóng xīn bǎ shēng diào bǔ shàng ma？
再重新把声调补上吗？
add in the tones？
wèi shén me？
为什么？
Why？
nǐ kě yǐ shì hòu zài bǔ，
你可以事后再补，
You can make it up later,
dànshì zhè huì ràng nǐ de hòumiàn de xuéxí xiǎnde hěn kùnnán.
但是这会让你的后面的学习显得很困难。
but this will make your subsequent learning very difficult.
tóngshí yě gěi nǐ
同时也给你
At the same time, it will also
zài qiánmiàn de qián jiēduàn de xuéxí zàochéng yīxiē kùnnán.
在前面的前阶段的学习造成一些困难。
cause some difficulties in your earlier stages of learning.
wèi shén me？
为什么？
Why？
yuán yīn hěn jiǎn dān.
原因很简单。
The reason is very simple.
yīn wèi shēng diào jù yǒu qū fēn yǔ yì de zuò yòng.
因为声调具有区分语义的作用。
Because tones have the function of distinguishing meanings.
zài nǐ yī kāi shǐ xué xí yì xiē zuì jiǎn dān de cí yǔ huò zhě jù zi de shí hòu，
在你一开始学习一些最简单的词语或者句子的时候
When you start to learn some of the simplest words or sentences,
kě néng shēng diào bìng méi yǒu nà me zhòng yào
可能声调并没有那么重要
the tone may not be so important.
nǐ shuō:
你说:
You say:
nǐ hǎo!
你好!
Hello!
zài jiàn!
再见!
Goodbye!
dà jiā dōu kě yǐ míng bái.
大家都可以明白。
and everyone can understand.
kě shì děng dào nǐ xué zhǎng yì diǎn de jù zi de shí hòu,
可是等到你学长一点的句子的时候,
But when you learn a longer sentence,
lǐ miàn huì yǒu hǎo duō de zì hé cí yǔ de shí hòu，
里面会有好多的字和词语的时候，
there will be a lot of words and phrases in it.
cháng cháng huì chū xiàn yì xiē yǒu yí yàng pīn yīn de cí yǔ，
常常会出现一些有一样拼音的词语，
There are often some words with the same Pinyin，
yí yàng fā yīn de cí yǔ
一样发音的词语
and the same pronunciation.
kě shì tā men de shēng diào bù tóng，yì si jiù bù tóng.
可是它们的声调不同,意思就不同。
But they have different tones and different meanings.
rú guǒ nǐ de shēng diào méi yǒu xué de hěn hǎo,
如果你的声调没有学得很好,
If you don't learn the tones well,
nà bié rén jiù hěn róng yì wù huì nǐ de yì si.
那别人就很容易误会你的意思。
people will easily misunderstand what you mean.
jǔ yí gè lì zi，
举一个例子，
As an example,
wǒ xiǎng shuō tā dào le tā zhè gè nián jì，
我想说他到了他这个年纪，
If I want to say that, at his age，
tā yīng gāi qù sān nián jí shàng xué le.
他应该去三年级上学了。
He should go to the third grade.
dào le tā zhè gè nián jì，
到了他这个年纪，
At his age，
tā yīng gāi qù sān nián jí shàng xué le.
他应该去三年级上学了。
he should be in the third grade.
nǐ tīng dào le ma？
你听到了吗?
Do you hear me?
zài wǒ de jù zi lǐ miàn,
在我的句子里面,
In my sentence,
nián jì hé nián jí tā men de fā yīn tīng qǐ lái hěn xiàng.
年纪和年级他们的发音听起来很像。
the pronunciation of age and grade sounds very similar.
shì de， tā men de pīn yīn wán quán shì yí yàng de.
是的，它们的拼音完全是一样的。
Yes, their pinyin is exactly the same.
kě shì shēng diào bù yí yàng，suǒ yǐ yì si bù yí yàng.
可是声调不一样，所以意思不一样。
But the tone is different, so the meaning is different.
nián jì de yì si shì age.
年纪的意思是age。
nián jì means age.
nián jí de yì si shì grade.
年纪的意思是grade。
nián jí means grade.
suǒ yǐ zài yì jù huà lǐ miàn，
所以在一句话里面，
So in one sentence，
tā men liǎng gè cí yǔ de yì si shì wán quán bù yí yàng.
他们两个词语的意思是完全不一样。
the meaning of the two words is completely different.
wǒ jiàn yì nǐ zài gāng gāng kāi shǐ xué zhōng wén de shí hòu,
我建议你在刚刚开始学中文的时候,
I suggest that when you are just starting to learn Chinese,
jiù bǎ shēng diào xué de biāo zhǔn yì diǎn，
就把声调学得标准一点，
you should learn the tones accurately.
nà zài nǐ hòu lái de xué xí dāng zhōng，
那在你后来的学习当中，
Then in your future studies,
nǐ huì yuè lái yuè fāng biàn de shǐ yòng.
你会越来越方便地使用。
you will find it easier and easier to use.
kě shì rú guǒ nǐ dào guò lái,
可是如果你倒过来,
But if you reverse it,
nǐ xiān xué xí fā yīn
你先学习发音，
first learning pronunciation,
ránhòu dào hòu miàn zài xué xí
然后到后面再学习
and then later learning
zài jiū zhèng nǐ de shēng diào de huà,
再纠正你的声调的话，
and correcting your tones,
nà jiù huì bǐ jiào nán yì xiē
那就会比较难一些。
it will be relatively more difficult.
yīn wèi nǐ de xí guàn yǐ jīng yǎng chéng le，
因为你的习惯已经养成了，
Because your habit has already formed,
nǐ yào gǎi diào yí gè xí guàn
你要改掉一个习惯
changing a habit
bìng bú shì nà me yí jiàn róng yì de shì qíng.
并不是那么一件容易的事情。
is not an easy thing to do.
Mandarin Teacher Edith:
zài yī kāishǐ xué hànyǔ de shíhòu,
在一开始学汉语的时候,
At the beginning of learning Chinese,
shì xuéhǎo yīndiào shì hěn zhòngyào de.
是学好音调是很重要的。
it is important to learn the tones well.
yīnwèi zhè jiù xiàng gài fángzi,
因为这就像盖房子,
because it is like building a house,
nǐ yào xiǎng bǎ fángzi gài de dà, gài dé hǎo,
你要想把房子盖得大, 盖得好
If you want to build a house big and well,
yīdìng yào yǒu láogù de dìjī.
一定要有牢固的地基。
you must have a solid foundation.
nà yīndiào jiùshì
那音调就是
The tones are
nǐ zài chūxué de shíhòu，
你在初学的时
when you are just starting to learn，
dǎ dìjī de yībùfèn.
打地基的一部分。
tones are part of the foundation you lay.
suǒyǐ zài nǐ chūxué de shíhòu,
所以在你初学的时候,
So when you are just starting to learn,
shēngdiào shì zhídé nǐ huā gōngfu qù pīn， liàn hé shuō de.
声调是值得你花功夫去拼，练和说的。
tones are worth the effort to practice，drill and speak.
rúguǒ nǐ yī kāishǐ méiyǒu hǎohǎo de shuō hǎohǎo de liàn，
如果你一开始没有好好地说好好地练，
If you don't speak well and practice well at the beginning，
nǐ xuéle liǎng nián sān nián，
你学了两年三年，
you have studied for two or three years，
nǐ juédé nǐ kěyǐ shuō de hěn duō，
你觉得你可以说得很多，
and you think you can speak a lot，
dànshì nǐ de fāyīn bùshì nàme de zhǔnquè，
但是你的发音不是那么的准确，
But your pronunciation is not so accurate，
yǐzhì yú zhōngguó rén tīng bù dǒng，
以至于中国人听不懂，
So that Chinese people do not understand，
tīng bù míngbái nǐ zài shuō shénme.
听不明白你在说什么。
do not understand what you are saying.
nàgè shíhòu nǐ huì yǒu fēicháng dà de cuòbài gǎn.
那个时候你会有非常大的挫败感。
At that time you will feel very frustrated.
yīnwèi nǐ yǐjīng xuéle hěn zhǎng de shíjiān,
因为你已经学了很长的时间,
because you have been studying for a long time,
kěshì biérén háishì bù míngbái nǐ zài shuō shénme.
可是别人还是不明白你在说什么。
but people still don't understand what you are talking about.
yǔqí nàyàng，
与其那样，
Rather than doing that,
hái bùrú nǐ zài yī kāishǐ de shíhòu，
还不如你在一开始的时候，
it is better from the beginning，
jiù bǎ huà shuō qīngchǔ，
就把话说清楚，
to speak clearly，
bǎ yīndiào shuō zhǔnquè
把音调说准确
and accurately with the correct tones
Mandarin Teacher Huiney:
dì sān gè wèntí,
第三个问题,
The third question is,
zài yī kāishǐ xuéxí hànyǔ de shíhòu,
在一开始学习汉语的时候,
that at the beginning of learning Chinese,
shìfǒu zhídé fùchū hěn duō jīnglì
是否值得付出很多精力
is it worth putting in a lot of effort
lái huòdé liánghǎo de
来获得良好的
to get good at
tīngdào hé zhèngquè shǐyòng shēngdiào de nénglì？
听声调和正确使用声调的能力？
hearing and using tones correctly?
wǒ kěyǐ zài yī kāishǐ xuéxí xīn cí shí,
我可以在一开始学习新词时,
When I start learning new words,
bù zàihu xīncí de shēngdiào,
不在乎新词的声调,
can't I ignore the tones of the new words,
zhǐ xiě pīnyīn bù dài shēngdiào,
只写拼音不带声调,
just write Pinyin without tones,
ránhòu děng wǒ de hànyǔ jíbié gāo de shíhòu,
然后等我的汉语级别高的时候,
and then when my Chinese level is high,
zài chóngxīn bǎ shēngdiào bǔ shàng qù ma?
再重新把声调补上去吗?
add in the tones?
wèishéme？
为什么？
Why?
zuòwéi yīgè zhuānyè de zhōngwén lǎoshī，
作为一个专业的中文老师，
As a professional Chinese teacher,
wǒ jiànyì nǐ zài yī kāishǐ de shíhòu jiù xuéhǎo shēngdiào.
我建议你在一开始的时候就学好声调。
I suggest you learn the tones well at the beginning.
jǐnliàng bǎ shēngdiào biāo shàng qù,
尽量把声调标上去,
and try to mark the tones,
zài nǐ xiě pīnyīn de shíhòu.
在你写拼音的时候。
when you write Pinyin.
wèishéme？
为什么？
Why?
yīnwèi yī kāishǐ de shíhòu nǐ jiù yángé de yāoqiú zìjǐ.
因为一开始的时候你就严格的要求自己。
Because if you are strict with yourself at the beginning.
nǐ nénggòu zuò hǎo tā,
你能够做好它，
and if you can do it well,
nàme xíguàn le yě jiù huì yuè lái yuè róngyì.
那么习惯了也就会越来越容易。
then getting used to it will be easier and easier.
suǒyǐ wànshì kāitóu nán.
所以万事开头难。
So everything is difficult at the beginning.
yī kāishǐ jiù kāishǐ zuò hǎo，yǐ nénggòu zuò de.
一开始就开始做好，以能够做的。
Start doing it well from the beginning，as much as you can.
yǐhòu huì yuè lái yuè róngyì.
以后会越来越容易。
It will be easier in the future.
Mandarin Teacher Even:
dì sì gè wèntí:
第四个问题:
The fourth question:
zuòwéi yīgè tīngzhòng，
作为一个听众，
As a listener，
dāng nǐ tīngdào yīgè wàiguó rén de shuō hànyǔ
当你听到一个外国人的说汉语
when you hear a foreigner speaking Chinese
zài shuō hànyǔ de shíhòu，
在说汉语的时候，
when speaking Chinese，
tā de shēngdiào fēicháng hǎo，
他的声调非常好，
and their tones are very good,
nǐ huì yǒu shé me yàng de gǎnjué？
你会有什么样的感觉？
How do you feel？
shǒuxiān wǒ kěndìng huì juédé tā de fāyīn fēicháng biāozhǔn.
首先我肯定会觉得他的发音非常标准。
First of all, I definitely think his pronunciation is very standard.
ránhòu wǒ huì yǒu yī zhǒng gǎnjué shì
然后我会有一种感觉 是
Then I will have a feeling that
tā xué hànyǔ yīdìng hěn nǔlì,
他学汉语一定很努力,
he must have worked very hard to learn Chinese,
yīdìng shì jīngguò hěnduō de liànxí zhīhòu,
一定是经过很多的练习之后,
and he must have gone through a lot of practice
cáinénggòu fāyīn zhème biāozhǔn de
才能够发音这么标准的
before he could pronounce so well.
lìngwài wǒ yě huì juédé
另外我也会觉得
In addition, I also think that
tā yídìng shì zài xué hànyǔ, xué yǔyán de shíhòu bǐjiào yǒu tiānfù.
他一定是在汉语学汉语学语言的时候比较有天赋。
He must be relatively talented in learning Chinese and languages.
yīnwèi tā nénggòu bǎ sì shēng xué de nàme de biāozhǔn,
因为他能够把4声学得那么地标准，
Because being able to learn the four tones so accurately,
shì yī jiàn bù róngyì de shìqíng.
是一件不容易的事情。
is not an easy thing.
suǒyǐ wǒ huì hěn pèifú tā
所以我会很佩服他
So, I will admire him very much.
wǒ yě huì juédé zhēn de hěn bàng
我也会觉得真的很棒
I think it's really great, too.
Mandarin Teacher Edith:
zuòwéi yīgè zhōngguó rén，
作为一个中国人，
As a Chinese,
zài tīng dào wàiguó rén shuō zhōngwén
在听到外国人说中文
when I hear a foreigner speak Chinese
yǒu hěn zhǔnquè de fāyīn de shíhòu，
有很准确的发音的时候，
with very accurate pronunciation,
wǒ huì juédé hěn qīnqiè.
我会觉得很亲切。
I get a warm and friendly feeling.
yīnwèi rúguǒ bù kàn tā de liǎn，
因为如果不看他的脸，
Because if I didn't look at his face,
wǒ huì juédé tā shì yīgè zhōngguó rén zài shuōhuà.
我会觉得他是一个中国人在说话。
I would think he was a Chinese person talking.
suīrán tā shì yīgè wàiguó rén，
虽然他是一个外国人，
Although he is a foreigner，
dànshì tā zhōngwén shuō de fēicháng hǎo，
但是他中文说得非常好，
but he speaks Chinese very well，
wǒ huì juédé lājìn wǒmen zhī jiān de jùlí，
我会觉得拉近我们之间的距离，
I will feel that the distance between us is shorter，
hěn róngyì gēn tā jiāotán.
很容易跟他交谈。
it is easy to talk to him.
lìngwài， wǒ yě huì rènwéi
另外，我也会认为
Additionally, I will also think that
zhège rén tā shì yǒu zài nǔlì de xuéxí,
这个人他是有在努力地学习,
this person is making an effort to study,
tā yǒu rènzhēn bìngqiě huāle shíjiān qù xuéxí yīndiào.
他有认真并且花了时间去学习音调。
and has taken the time to seriously learn the tones.
wǒ huì fēicháng pèifú tā rènzhēn de jīngshén.
我会非常佩服他认真的精神。
I will greatly admire his serious attitude.
xièxiè！
谢谢！
Thank you！
Mandarin Teacher Huiney:
hǎo， dì sì gè wèntí，
好，第四个问题，
Okay, fourth question,
zuòwéi yīgè tīngzhòng，
作为一个听众，
as a listener,
dāng nǐ tīngdào yīgè wàiguó rén zài shuō hànyǔ shí，
当你听到一个外国人在说汉语时，
when you hear a foreigner speaking Chinese,
tā de shēngdiào fēicháng hǎo，
他的声调非常好，
and his tones are very good,
nǐ yǒu shénme yàng de gǎnjué?
你有什么样的感觉？
how do you feel?
wǒ dì yī gǎnjué huì Wow!
我第一感觉会 Wow!
My first impression will be "Wow!",
OK, nǐ shuō de hěn dìdào
OK, 你说得很地道
OK, you speak very authentically,
ránhòu huì juéde nǐ fēicháng yòngxīn de xué zhōngwén，
然后会觉得你非常用心地学中文，
and then I will feel that you study Chinese very hard,
ránhòu yīdìng xué de hěn nǔlì.
然后一定学得很努力。
and you must study very hard.
ránhòu dì sān gè，
然后第三个，
And then the third one,
wǒ huì juéde nǐ hěn yǒu qiánlì
我会觉得你很有潜力
I will think you have great potential
xué gèng duō gèng hǎo de zhōngwén.
学更多更好的中文。
to learn more and better Chinese.
jiāyóu！
加油！
Come on！
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