🀄 Day 4 — Tone Pairs — Tone 3 Combinations + Sandhi
Phase: Phase 1 | Milestone: Foundation — Sound & Script
⏱️ Today’s Session (1 Hour)
| Block | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Review | 0:00–0:15 | Anki / Pleco SRS flashcards |
| New Content | 0:15–0:45 | Today’s lesson + exercises |
| Listening | 0:45–0:55 | Audio immersion / shadowing |
| Output | 0:55–1:00 | Speak or write original Chinese |
📖 Review (15 min)
- Anki: “SpoonFed Chinese” — 10 cards
- Pleco: Mix all previous tone pairs. 50 reps. Target: 85%+.
🆕 New Content (30 min)
Tone 3 Pairs (Tone 3 + X)
| Pair | Example | Pinyin | Meaning | ⚠️ Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 + 1 | 好看 | hǎo kàn | good-looking | Half-3 (low, no rise) |
| 3 + 2 | 很难 | hěn nán | very difficult | Half-3 |
| 3 + 3 | 你好 | nǐ hǎo | hello | → said as 2 + 3! “ní hǎo” |
| 3 + 4 | 好觉 | hǎo jiào | good sleep | Half-3 |
| 3 + 5 | 姐姐 | jiě jie | older sister | Half-3 |
⚠️ CRITICAL: 3-3 → 2-3 Sandhi
When two 3rd tones collide, the first becomes 2nd tone:
- nǐ hǎo → ní hǎo
- hěn hǎo → hén hǎo
- suǒ yǐ → suó yǐ
- kě yǐ → ké yǐ
✏️ Exercises
- Half-3 Practice (10 min): The half-3 is just the LOW part, no rise. Practice: hǎo kàn, lǎo shī, hěn nán.
- 3-3 Sandhi Drill (10 min): Write and say these pairs AS 2-3: nǐ hǎo, hěn hǎo, suǒ yǐ, kě yǐ, yǔ fǎ.
- Contrast Drill (5 min): Pleco — listen to 3-1 vs 2-1. Can you hear the difference?
🎧 Listening (10 min)
🎧 ChinesePod Newbie — new episode. Listen for 3-3 pairs turning into 2-3.
🗣️ Output (5 min)
📱 Record: “ní hǎo, hén hǎo, suó yǐ, ké yǐ, yú fǎ” — all as 2-3.
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