Mandarin From the Ground Up Isaac Myers

Welcome back for Season 3! In this series, we are going to do a deep dive on the tones in Mandarin.
We covered tones briefly in Season 1, Episode 07, but there is still a lot more to talk about. Tones are one of those subjects that some people love and many people hate... or at least find unpleasant, and possibly somewhat frightening. It's my mission in Season 3 to dispel all your fears about tones. By the end of this season, my hope is that tones will be second nature for you.
Even if you already have a good grasp of the tones, I think you'll still get something from these lessons. They are full of stories and dialogues which, aside from exhibiting each particular tone pair, are also full of useful words and phrases, and are designed to evoke silly or even absurd mental images that will make them more memorable.
In this episode, I spend some time explaining the importance of tones, the significance and usefulness of tone pairs, and reviewing the basic tones with a new mnemonic device based on movement. Then we jump right in and start learning the first of 16 unique tone pairs.
Lesson Outline:
[00:21] Introduction to Season 3[00:54] Why do we need to focus so much on tones? [04:17] Review of the four basic tones[06:34] What are tone pairs?[10:58] How these lessons work[11:43] Lesson part 1 - Magic Phrase [15:35] Practice repeating the Magic Phrase[16:53] Lesson part 2 - Tone Pair Safari[19:39] Thanks to supporters 3Magic Phrase (3-2)This phrase is composed entirely of words that use the 3-2 tone pair. In this lesson, we use it to practice identifying and then pronouncing the tones, hearing how they interact with each other in context. 
導遊本來以為美國草莓打折！Dǎoyóu běnlái yǐwéi měiguó cǎoméi dǎzhé!
Tone Pair Safari (3-2)Once we are familiar with the 3-2 tone pair, we listen to a short story that is filled with more words that use this tone pair. In doing so, we sharpen our listening skills by practicing paying attention to the tones we hear. We also start to learn a bunch of useful words and phrases.
Transcript of the story我朋友是警察。他以前很想要減肥。可是他感覺很難！因為他女兒每次旅行都會買奶油餅乾。警察請求他女兒不要再買，女兒說不行，餅乾很有名，吃餅乾讓她感覺很滿足！我覺得警察很可憐！最後，警察的老婆解決了問題。她去賭博。賭博很快就沒錢。然後女兒不能去旅行。雖然減肥的問題解決了，但是警察還是很倒霉。
Line by line, with pinyinUse this as a visual listening guide, or if you want to check your tone comprehension. Tones are indicated by marks above the letters in the pinyin transliteration, as follows: (1)  ā  (2)  á  (3)  ǎ  (4)  à
我朋友是警察。Wǒ péngyǒu shì jǐngchá.他以前很想要減肥。Tā yǐqián hěn xiǎng yào jiǎnféi.
可是他感覺很難！Kěshì tā gǎnjué hěn nán! 
因為他女兒每次旅行都會買奶油餅乾。Yīnwèi tā nǚ'ér měi cì lǚxíng dōu huì mǎi nǎiyóu bǐnggān.
警察請求他女兒不要再買，Jǐngchá qǐngqiú tā nǚ'ér bùyào zài mǎi,
女兒說不行，nǚ'ér shuō bu xíng,
餅乾很有名，bǐnggān hěn yǒumíng,
吃餅乾讓她感覺很滿足！chī bǐnggān ràng tā gǎnjué hěn mǎnzú!
我覺得警察很可憐！Wǒ juédé jǐngchá hěn kělián!
最後，警察的老婆解決了問題。Zuìhòu, jǐngchá de lǎopó jiějué le wèntí.
她去賭博。賭博很快就沒錢。Tā qù dǔbó. Dǔbó hěn kuài jiù méi qián.
然後女兒不能去旅行。Ránhòu nǚ'ér bùnéng qù lǚxíng. 
雖然減肥的問題解決了，但是警察還是很倒霉。Suīrán jiǎnféi de wèntí jiějuéle, dànshì jǐngchá háishì hěn dǎoméi.
Translation of the storyI'd like to encourage you to listen through the whole lesson at least once before you look at the translation. Then you can decide if and when to look, depending on your level. Espec

Let's learn another tone pair! Can you hear which one it is?
Learning the pronunciation of a foreign language can sometimes feel strange, even scary. Pronunciation is such a personal thing -- it's part of who we are, and how we express ourselves. When we start to imitate another language, it's easy to start feeling like "this isn't me."
If you find yourself feeling that way, try to just observe the feeling without judging either yourself or the language. You might even take it as a good sign, because it means you're going outside your own comfort zone!
Learning a new pronunciation system -- a new way of expressing yourself through sound -- is an opportunity to expand your sense of yourself. But don't expect it to happen all at once. Our ears are specially tuned to the sounds of our own native language(s), and at first, we won't be able to hear or pronounce the sounds of another language nearly so precisely.
So ease yourself into the new language. Let yourself have fun. Exaggerate the sounds as you imitate them -- especially the tones! More than likely, what sounds like exaggeration to you is actually just the normal pronunciation of an unfamiliar language.
About today's lesson
We start by hearing another silly phrase composed entirely of today's tone pair. You'll probably never need to say this particular phrase, but that's also not the point. By practicing listening to and imitating exactly what we hear, we are strengthening our Mandarin listening and speaking muscles, and simultaneously sensitizing our ears to this tone pattern.
Next, we will hear a natural dialogue with a lot of words that use the same tone pair, giving our ears a chance to practice recognizing it in natural speech. And of course we'll get to learn a lot of new useful words and phrases in the bargain. Ready? 
Lesson Outline:
[00:21] Introduction[00:49] Magic Phrase[03:31] Practice repeating the Magic Phrase[05:45] Tone Pair Safari: Dialogue[07:55] Translation of the dialogue[11:55] Hear the dialogue one more timeMagic Phrase (1-4)This phrase is composed entirely of words that use the 1-4 tone pair. In this lesson, we use it to practice identifying and then pronouncing the tones, hearing how they interact with each other in context. 
超市需要音樂，醫院需要安靜！Chāoshì xūyào yīnyuè, yīyuàn xūyào ānjìng!
Tone Pair Safari (1-4)Once we are familiar with the 1-4 tone pair, we listen to a new dialogue that is filled with more words that use this tone pair. In doing so, we sharpen our listening skills by practicing paying attention to the tones we hear.
Transcript of the dialogue (Chinese characters only)
L：生日快樂！欸？你不高興？M：我生病了！L：你生日你就生病！是不是因為天氣。我把窗戶關閉。M：不是，是工作壓力啦。L：你需要去醫院嗎？M：我不相信醫院會幫助我。L：因為醫生不專業？還是因為醫院裡的空氣不好？M：我發現醫院不太乾淨。L：是哦。好，我尊重你。M：【嘆氣】 … 這裡好安靜。L：你看！我剛剛經過了超市，我買了雞蛋。M：你要做蛋糕給我？！L：不是啊，我要煎蛋給你。M：生日雞蛋？L：你要聽音樂嗎？祝你生日快樂，祝你生日快樂…M：你好幽默。Transcript of the dialogue (w/ pinyin and translation)Use this as a visual listening guide, or if you want to check your tone comprehension. Tones are indicated by marks above the letters in the pinyin transliteration, as follows: (1)  ā  (2)  á  (3)  ǎ  (4)  à
L：生日快樂！欸？你不高興？Shēngrì kuàilè! Āi? Nǐ bù gāoxìng?Happy birthday! Huh? You’re unhappy?M：我生病了！Wǒ shēngbìngle!I’m sick!L：你生日你就生病！是不是因為天氣。我把窗戶關閉。Nǐ shēngrì nǐ jiù shēngbìng! Shì bùshì yīn wéi tiānqì. Wǒ bǎ chuānghù guānbì.You got sick on your birthday! It’s because of the weather, isn’t it. I’ll close the window.M

Today's tone pair, 2-3, is easily confused with the one we learned in episode one, 3-2. Today we'll spend some time practicing differentiating between them. Then we'll hear another fun (slightly absurd) dialogue to practice our listening skills, and absorb some new words. 
Lesson Outline:
[00:21] Magic Phrase[04:27] Practice repeating the Magic Phrase[05:43] Practice phrases using tone pairs we've learned so far[08:42] Tone Pair Safari: Dialogue[09:54] Translation of the dialogue[15:16] Hear the dialogue againMagic Phrase (2-3)This phrase is composed entirely of words that use the 2-3 tone pair. We use it to practice identifying and then pronouncing the tones, hearing how they interact with each other in context. 
還好男友沒有拿起啤酒騎馬，危險！Háihǎo nányǒu méiyǒu náqǐ píjiǔ qímǎ, wéixiǎn!
Comparative PhrasesHere are some phrases that combine the tone pairs we've learned so far in lessons one to three. 
女兒游泳Nǚ'ér yóuyǒng(The) daughter swims王子很驕傲wángzǐ hěn jiāo'ào(The) prince is very proud / arrogant. 如果失敗，有機會成長rúguǒ shībài, yǒu jīhuì chéngzhǎngIf (you) fail, there is an opportunity to grow / mature.Tone Pair Safari (2-3)Once we are familiar with the 2-3 tone pair, we listen to a new dialogue that is filled with more words that use this tone pair. In doing so, we sharpen our listening skills by practicing paying attention to the tones we hear.
Transcript of the dialogue (Chinese characters only)
M：你還好嗎？K：我兒子怎麼這麼殘忍？M：怎麼了？K：他被罰款了！M：為什麼被罰款？K：我是一個傳統的媽媽，可是他讓我很煩惱。M：你很愛你的兒子。K：我讓他每天吃蘋果，很營養。M：很合理！K：而且他的牙齒很完整！M：...是嗎？K：結果，他去游泳池賣牛奶，就被罰款！M：所以... K：我太愚蠢。一定是那個搖滾音樂讓他變成了魔鬼！M：賣牛奶還好吧。K：不合法！M：沒有人是完美的。K：很明顯，他在模仿他的爸爸。Transcript of the dialogue (w/ pinyin and translation)Use this as a visual listening guide, or if you want to check your tone comprehension. Tones are indicated by marks above the letters in the pinyin transliteration, as follows: (1)  ā  (2)  á  (3)  ǎ  (4)  à
M：你還好嗎？Nǐ hái hǎo ma?Are you okay? K：我兒子怎麼這麼殘忍？Wǒ érzi zěnme zhème cánrěn?How could my son be so cruel? M：怎麼了？Zěnmele?What's wrong? / What's up? / What happened? K：他被罰款了！Tā bèi fákuǎnle!He received a fine! / He was fined (monetary)!M：為什麼被罰款？Wèishéme bèi fákuǎn?Why was he fined? K：我是一個傳統的媽媽，可是他讓我很煩惱。Wǒ shì yīgè chuántǒng de māmā, kěshì tā ràng wǒ hěn fánnǎo.I'm a traditional mother, but he makes me worry a lot / gives me a lot of trouble.  M：你很愛你的兒子。Nǐ hěn ài nǐ de érzi.You really love your son. K：我讓他每天吃蘋果，很營養。Wǒ ràng tā měitiān chī píngguǒ, hěn yíngyǎng.I make / let him eat an apple every day, it's very nutritious. M：很合理！Hěn hélǐ!That makes sense! / Very sensible! K：而且他的牙齒很完整！Érqiě tā de yáchǐ hěn wánzhěng!Furthermore, his teeth are all intact / very complete! M：...是嗎？... Shì ma?Yeah? / Really? K：結果，他去游泳池賣牛奶，就被罰款！Jiéguǒ, tā qù yóuyǒngchí mài niúnǎi, jiù bèi fákuǎn!After all that / as a result / in the end, he goes to the swimming pool and sells milk, and receives a fine! M：所以... Suǒyǐ...So... K：我太愚蠢。一定是那個搖滾音樂讓他變成了魔鬼！Wǒ tài yúchǔn. Yīdìng shì nàgè yáogǔn yīnyuè ràng tā biànchéngle móguǐ! I'm so stupid. It must be that rock music, it made him turn into a devil / demon / monster! M：賣牛奶還好吧。Mài niúnǎi hái hǎo b

Be mindful of how you're feeling when you practice these lessons. Are you feeling excited and energized? Tired and doubtful? Distracted? Focused? Without passing any judgment on how you feel, observing your feelings or state of mind can offer clues about how and whether you might want to adjust your practice.
For example, about a month ago I noticed that my language practice was starting to bore me a little. This was after many months of smooth sailing, during which I had been feeling motivated and everything had seemed interesting. Suddenly, I found myself getting distracted more and more easily, and even skipping days of practice.
Instead of heaping on the self-judgment, as I might have done in the past, this time I decided to listen to what this feeling was telling me. After some introspection, I realized I had been starting to get burned out. At first I had been ignoring this feeling, because I felt so much pressure to keep improving. Recognizing and accepting the source my of waning motivation was a huge relief. I wound up deciding to take a short break, and then continue practicing but with an emphasis, for the time being, on just speaking with real people, which I personally have always found the greatest motivator for learning another language. 
As with life, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to learning a language, which is why tuning into your internal state now and then can be such a helpful source of guidance. 
Lesson Outline:
[00:21] Introduction[01:55] Introduction part 2: Slowing down the magic phrase practice[02:50] Magic Phrase[04:16] Break down and practice the Magic Phrase[11:55] Tone Pair Safari: Dialogue[13:59] Translation of the Dialogue[19:56] Dialogue, Slow VersionMagic Phrase (1-2)This phrase is composed entirely of words that use the 1-2 tone pair. We use it to practice identifying and then pronouncing the tones, hearing how they interact with each other in context. 
雖然公園非常安全，阿姨居然失眠！Suīrán gōngyuán fēicháng ānquán, āyí jūrán shīmián!
雖然 / suīrán / although, even though公園 / gōngyuán / park ("public garden") 非常 / fēicháng / extremely ("not common, not normal")安全 / ānquán / safe阿姨 / āyí / aunt, auntie, a woman approximately the age of one's parents居然 / jūrán / unexpectedly, surprisingly 失眠 / shīmián / to suffer from insomnia ("lose sleep") 
Tone Pair Safari (1-2)Once we are familiar with the 1-2 tone pair, we listen to a new dialogue that is filled with more words that use this tone pair. In doing so, we sharpen our listening skills by practicing paying attention to the tones we hear.
Transcript of the dialogue (Chinese characters only)
S：歡迎光臨我的空調商店，我專門賣空調！你需要什麼嗎？K：你終於開門了！S：你有什麼需求嗎？K：我要抓狂了！S：你的精神看起來不太好。K：當然啊！S：怎麼了？K：我的兒子。S：你的兒子怎麼了？K：他要出國了！S：是嗎？K：他說不要我干涉他的私人生活！S：你有在干涉嗎？K：沒有！我只是跟他說，刷牙要堅持！S：然後呢？K：他不聽話！我的兒子糟透了！S：你要不要試著不要批評他，對他溫柔一點。K：可是生活有規則啊！S：你需要跟他溝通。K：我不行！你要幫我！S：… 你要買空調嗎？K：沒關係啦，我試著跟他溝通好了。謝謝你。S：謝謝光臨！Transcript of the dialogue (w/ pinyin and translation)Use this as a visual listening guide, or if you want to check your tone comprehension. Tones are indicated by marks above the letters in the pinyin transliteration, as follows: (1)  ā  (2)  á  (3)  ǎ  (4)  à
S：歡迎光臨我的空調商店，我專門賣空調！你需要什麼嗎？Huānyíng guānglín wǒ de kōngtiáo shāngdiàn, wǒ zhuānmén mài kōngtiáo! Nǐ xūyào shénme ma?Welcome to my air conditioner shop! I specialize in selling air conditioners. Do

We can't understand a language outside the context of the people who live it and speak it. A human language cannot be contained in an artifact like a dictionary or even a database, because it is a living thing, which exists through the people who live by it.
From the standpoint of learning a language, this point is essential. Not incidentally, rare cases notwithstanding, the human brain is not particularly good at memorizing facts or data. Consider how many things you learned in school that you've already forgotten.
The kind of information that we do tend to remember, indeed that we may absorb and retain permanently without even trying, is how things make us feel. Feelings are how we make meaning from experience. 
This makes all the difference, because if we view a language as a collection of symbols that have no personal meaning for us, then learning it becomes an almost impossible task. But if, during the learning process, we allow the language to move us, to make us feel something, to change us personally, then we start to tap into the source of our language genius.  When learning a language, pay attention to how what you are learning makes you feel, and seek out resources and people that make you feel something... anything! 
Lesson Outline:
[00:21] Introduction[03:36] Magic Phrase[04:22] Break down and practice the Magic Phrase[09:55] Dialogue[12:23] Translation of the Dialogue[20:52] Dialogue, Slow VersionMagic Phrase (4-4)This phrase is composed entirely of words that use the 4-4 tone pair. We use it to practice identifying and then pronouncing the tones, hearing how they interact with each other in context. 
忘記過去，注意現在Wàngjì guòqù, zhùyì xiànzài
忘記 / wàngjì / to forget過去 / guòqù / the past, passed, over, finished 注意 / zhùyì / to pay attention to, to be careful of現在 / xiànzài / now
Transcript of the dialogue (Chinese characters only)
阿明，你在幹嘛？我在看電視。不要浪費時間！我們要去上課了！我不去了。什麼意思？當然要去啊！你的作業做好了嗎？我忘記了。你忘記了！這很重要欸！教授說今天你要上台報告！你先去吧，我要睡覺。再見。阿明，這樣你要怎麼畢業？抱歉，小李。阿明，你怎麼了？你看！看什麼？你看見了嗎？電視上的報導。我沒看到。它說這個社會…這個社會怎麼了？變化的速度太快。一定是世界末日！就算是，你還是要繼續活下去啊！不能放棄！阿明，你多久沒去外面？戶外嗎？我們去附近散步，好不好？你要運動一下。但是，我害怕遇到教授。那我們不要往教室的方向，我們就去… 動物園吧。我們去看大象，好不好？你最愛的大象！你確定這樣OK嗎？可以啦！我也來翹課。謝謝小李。不客氣，阿明。我好鬱悶！會過去的。來，你先穿你的外套。Transcript of the dialogue (w/ pinyin and translation)Use this as a visual listening guide, or if you want to check your tone comprehension. Tones are indicated by marks above the letters in the pinyin transliteration, as follows: (1)  ā  (2)  á  (3)  ǎ  (4)  à
阿明，你在幹嘛？Ā míng, nǐ zài gàn ma?A-Ming, what are you doing?我在看電視。Wǒ zài kàn diànshì.I’m watching TV.不要浪費時間！我們要去上課了！Búyào làngfèi shíjiān! Wǒmen yào qù shàngkèle! Don’t waste time! We need to go to class!我不去了。Wǒ bú qùle.I’m not going.什麼意思？當然要去啊！你的作業做好了嗎？Shénme yìsi? Dāngrán yào qù a! Nǐ de zuòyè zuò hǎole ma?What do you mean? Of course you’re going! Did you finish your homework?我忘記了。Wǒ wàngjìle.I forgot.你忘記了！這很重要欸！教授說今天你要上台報告！Nǐ wàngjìle! Zhè hěn zhòngyào ēi! Jiàoshòu shuō jīntiān nǐ yào shàngtái bàogào!You forgot! This is really important! Professor said today you

The long-awaited episode 06 is finally here! This lesson's dialogue is longer than usual, so let's get right to it. 
Lesson Outline:
[00:21] Introduction[04:21] Magic Phrase: 下午下雨，地鐵漏水！[07:22] Dialogue[11:00] Translation[25:09] Dialogue, slowed downMagic Phrase (4-3)This phrase is composed entirely of words that use the 4-3 tone pair. We use it to practice identifying and then pronouncing the tones, hearing how they interact with each other in context. 
下午下雨，地鐵漏水Xiàwǔ xiàyǔ, dìtiě lòushuǐ
下午 / xiàwǔ / afternoon下雨 / xiàyǔ / to rain地鐵 / dìtiě / subway, subway system漏水 / lòushuǐ / to leak water
Transcript of the dialogue (Chinese characters only)
小李：好，我們開始。可以錄影嗎？麗麗：可以。小李：謝謝。阿明，你準備好了嗎？阿明：可以了！小李：好。可以先講一下你的背景嗎？你小時候喜歡做什麼？麗麗：我從小就很愛看電影。我的夢想是寫電影的劇本。小李：很酷的夢想！麗麗：對啊。但我媽媽禁止我念電影系，她說太冒險。小李：所以你念了什麼系？麗麗：我念電腦科學。畢業後我在大公司上班。我們買賣進口的電腦系統。小李：聽起來很有趣！麗麗：很無聊！我賺了很多錢，但每天都覺得很痛苦。不知道到底活著是為了什麼。而且身體還出了一些狀況。因為沒有胃口，所以變得很瘦。小李：好可憐！麗麗：當時我很後悔放棄自己的夢想，但我也沒有勇氣改變。小李：那然後呢？麗麗：後來我發現了，害怕失敗只是一個藉口。或許寫劇本只是一個幻想啊，但至少要試試看才知道。小李：沒錯！麗麗：我現在的看法是，不管怎麼樣，自己的人生要自己負責。小李：有道理。麗麗：所以我離職了。小李：哇！那你媽媽有支持你了嗎？麗麗：沒有。她很憤怒，她說我會後悔，還說最好不要再看到我了。小李：你一定很難過。麗麗：讓媽媽生氣是不可避免的啊！重點是，我現在的工作是寫劇本。我成功了！小李：恭喜！那你媽媽呢？麗麗：她早就忘記了。康太太：哈囉，你們在說我的壞話嗎？小李：呃，沒有，我們在，呃，採訪…阿明：麗麗在跟我們說她現在的工作。康太太：哦！對，我女兒很厲害！她寫電影的劇本！很厲害吧！小李：真的。真的很厲害。Transcript of the dialogue (w/ pinyin and translation)Use this as a visual listening guide, or if you want to check your tone comprehension. Tones are indicated by marks above the letters in the pinyin transliteration, as follows: (1)  ā  (2)  á  (3)  ǎ  (4)  à
小李：好，我們開始。可以錄影嗎？Ok, let’s start. Can we take a video?Hǎo, wǒmen kāishǐ. Kěyǐ lùyǐng ma?麗麗：可以。Sure.Kěyǐ.小李：謝謝。阿明，你準備好了嗎？Thanks. A-Ming, are you ready?Xièxie. Ā míng, nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎole ma?阿明：可以了！Ready!Kěyǐle!小李：好。可以先講一下你的背景嗎？你小時候喜歡做什麼？Ok. Can you first talk a little about your background? What did you like to do when you were a kid?Hǎo. Kěyǐ xiān jiǎng yīxià nǐ de bèijǐng ma? Nǐ xiǎoshíhòu xǐhuān zuò shénme?麗麗：我從小就很愛看電影。我的夢想是寫電影的劇本。I’ve loved watching movies since I was small. My dream was to write screenplays.Wǒ cóngxiǎo jiù hěn ài kàn diànyǐng. Wǒ de mèngxiǎng shì xiě diànyǐng de jùběn.小李：很酷的夢想！That’s a really cool dream!Hěn kù de mèngxiǎng!麗麗：對啊。但我媽媽禁止我念電影系，她說太冒險。Yeah. But my mom forbade me from studying film. She said it was too risky.Duì a. Dàn wǒ māmā jìnzhǐ wǒ niàn diànyǐng xì, tā shuō tài màoxiǎn.小李：所以你念了什麼系？So what did you major in?Suǒyǐ n