RESOURCES - Living Abroad in Beijing - page 569

Some tones are easy to remember because perhaps emotionally they seem to match the
meaning. For example, bù ( 不 ), meaning “no,” has the downward stabbing fourth tone. But
sometimes it can be helpful to use visuals or mnemonics to help you remember the tone.
Dictionaries such as MDBG ( www.mdbg.net ) and Pleco ( www.pleco.com ) have color cod-
ing for tones, which can also aid memory. For example, to remember the different pronun-
ciations of tang, you could think of the “flat” surface of a bowl of red soup, the “rise” of
energy after eating a piece of yellow candy, lying on your back in a green field, and the
“burning heat” from a bolt of blue lightning.
In addition to the tones, Chinese has a few other differences in pronunciation. Just some
of these include:
q —Pronounced a bit like an English “ch” but made by concentrating the sound into a small
point behind your front two teeth. The vowel that comes after it is usually produced in the
same position.
ch —Again, like an English “ch” but flatter, wider, and farther back. It feels more relaxed
then “q” and like your back teeth are helping to make the sound. Getting these two sounds
right will make it clear whether you're saying qù (go, 去 ) or ch ū (out, 出 ).
x —This sound is produced by making an English “sh” sound but right at the front of your
mouth where you'd normally produce a “s,” and in a similar place to the Chinese “q.” Vow-
els following “x” are produced at the front of the mouth.
sh —This is produced in a similar way to English “sh” but farther back like the Chinese
“ch.” Getting “x” and “sh” correct will make it obvious that you're saying either xi ǎ o
(small, 小 ) or sh ǎ o ( 少 , lacking or few).
j —Again, rather than the English “j” sound that is produced with the sides of your tongue
in about the middle of your mouth, the Chinese “j” is right at the front behind your two
front teeth. The vowels that follow it are typically produced at the front of the mouth.
zh —This sound is much like the English “j” sound in “jump” or “g” in “George,” only
slightly farther back.
c —This is pronounced like a “ts.” In English this sound occurs only in the middle or at the
end of words, such as in kits or pats, but in Chinese it is found at the start of words, such as
in “cù” ( 醋 ), meaning vinegar.