How to pronounce
in Mandarin Chinese
lǐThird tonelùnFourth tone
Hear it in conversation
ér而tè特斯lā拉xìn信奉lǐ理lùn论xiān先行
Select a word for its meaning.
See it in a sentence.
。
That's my theory.
。
It is difficult to understand his theory.
。
This theory is very controversial.
Hear the difference
A syllable has a shape.
Tone marks show how pitch changes. Colors help you follow each syllable in the app.
ā →First toneHigh and level
á ↗Second toneRising
ǎ ↘↗Third toneLow, then rising in isolation
à ↘Fourth toneFalling
a ·Neutral toneShort and light
These are dictionary tones. In natural speech, tones can change with context. A third tone often stays low before another syllable.