🀄 Day 5 — Tone Pairs — Tone 4 Combinations + 不/一 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: All tone pairs from Days 2–4. 50 reps. Target: 85%+.
🆕 New Content (30 min)
Tone 4 Pairs (Tone 4 + X)
| Pair | Example | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 + 1 | 大哥 | dà gē | big brother |
| 4 + 2 | 太难 | tài nán | too difficult |
| 4 + 3 | 不好 | bù hǎo | not good |
| 4 + 4 | 大叫 | dà jiào | to shout |
| 4 + 5 | 太太 | tài tai | wife |
⚠️ 不 (bù) Sandhi
- bù + tone 1/2/3 → stays bù: bù gāo, bù nán, bù hǎo
- bù + tone 4 → becomes bú: bú shì, bú yào, bú duì
⚠️ 一 (yī) Sandhi
- yī alone → yī (tone 1)
- yī + tone 4 → yí: yí gè, yí kuài
- yī + tone 1/2/3 → yì: yì tiān, yì nián, yì běn
✏️ Exercises
- Tone 4 Imitation: 5 pairs × 5 cycles.
- 不 Sandhi Drill: bù hǎo, bú shì, bù duō, bú yào, bù lái. Say 10× each.
- 一 Sandhi Drill: yí gè, yì tiān, yì běn, yì nián. Say 10× each.
- Record: All 20 tone pair combinations. This is your master tone recording.
🎧 Listening (10 min)
🎧 ChinesePod Newbie — listen for 不 and 一. How do native speakers say them?
🗣️ Output (5 min)
📱 Record all 20 tone pairs. Save as “Day 5 — All 20 Pairs.”
Day 5 Checklist0/5