四声 (sì shēng) — the four tones of Standard Chinese (first, second, third, fourth); the fourth tone (falling tone) in Standard Chinese
Definition
Literally 'four tones' — collectively refers to the four Mandarin tones (一声/二声/三声/四声). By contrast, 声调 is the more common term for the tone system or the pitch contour of a single syllable.
noun
the four tones of Standard Chinese (first, second, third, fourth)the fourth tone (falling tone) in Standard Chinese
Examples
- ，四声。Pǔ tōng huà yǒu sì gè shēng diào, chēng wéi sì shēng.Standard Chinese has four tones, called the four tones.
- 四声，。Zhè ge zì de shēng diào shì sì shēng, yào dú chéng xià jiàng de.The tone of this character is the fourth tone; it should be read as falling.
- 四声，。Xué xí sì shēng shí, yào zhù yì měi gè shēng diào de gāo dī biàn huà.When studying the four tones, pay attention to the pitch changes of each tone.
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