3. Tones 声调
Tones are the variation of the pitch of syllables. There are four basic tones in standard Chinese: the first, second, third and the 4th tone, and are indicated by the four tone marks －ˊˇˋ respectively.声调是音节的音高变化。汉语中有四个基本声调：第一声、第二声、第三声、第四声，并分别以－ˊˇˋ四个声调符号表示。
Four-tones Patter 四聲順口溜
Yīshēng gāo yòu píng
一声 高 又 平
The first tone: high and flat
Èrshēng shàng shānpō
二声 上 山坡
The second tone: ascending
Sānshēng xià pō yòu shàng pō
三声 下 坡 又 上 坡
The third tone: descending and then ascending
Sìshēng gǔn xià pō
四声 滚 下 坡
The fourth tone: rolling down (descending)
Practice 声调练习
