The MUST-KNOW Chinese mandatory tone change rule Part 2
As mentioned in the previous blogpost, each Chinese character has its own original tone, but when placed next to other characters, some of these original tones can change. This is commonly referred to as tone change （变调规则）. For a more detailed explanation, do check out our previous blog post!
Today, we will be explaining tone change for the word “一”.
Tone Change for “一”
The word “一” (yī) is a first tone character. However, when paired with different characters of different tones, it changes to a second or fourth tone.
1. Tone change for “一” from first to second
When “一” (yī) is paired together with a character of the fourth tone, the tone for “一” is changed to the second tone (yí). A case in point would be the two characters “一个”. Although the character “一” is pronounced in the first tone (yī) when spoken in isolation, when put together with a character of the fourth tone (gè), the tone change rule is applied, and “一个” is pronounced as (yí gè). The same rule applies for other word pairs such as 一位、一项 and 一串。
2. Tone change for “一” from first to fourth
Similarly, when “一” (yī) is paired together with a word of the second or third tone, the tone for “一” is changed to the fourth tone (yì). An apt example would be the two characters “一起”. When the character “一” (yī) is put together with a character of the third tone (qǐ), the tone change rule is applied, and “一起” is pronounced as (yì qǐ). The same rule applies for other word pairs such as 一种、一元 and 一枚。
Do master these tone change rules and apply them in your Oral Examinations! Please refer to part 3 for more content related to this topic.
