Learn some Chinese tongue twisters
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Intro |
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| Michael: What are some Chinese tongue twisters? |
| Dehua: And are many Chinese words hard to pronounce? |
| Michael: At ChineseClass101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following scenario: Sasha Lee is interested in tongue twisters. She asks her friend, Haoran Huang, to tell her one. |
| "Teach me a tongue twister." |
| 李 萨莎: 教我一个绕口令。 (Jiāo wǒ yīgè ràokǒulìng.) |
| Dialogue |
| 李 萨莎: 教我一个绕口令。 (Jiāo wǒ yīgè ràokǒulìng.) |
| 黄 浩然: 四是四，十是十。 (Sì shì sì, shí shì shí.) |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| 李 萨莎: 教我一个绕口令。 (Jiào wǒ yīgè ràokǒulìng.) |
| Michael: "Teach me a tongue twister." |
| 黄 浩然: 四是四，十是十。 (Sì shì sì, shí shì shí.) |
| Michael: "Four is four. Ten is ten." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In this lesson, we’re going to talk about tongue twisters In Chinese. To start, let’s learn the word “tongue twister,” which is... |
| Dehua: 绕口令 (ràokǒulìng). |
| [slowly] 绕口令 (ràokǒulìng). |
| Michael: In this conversation, we hear Sasha make a request, "Teach me a tongue twister." |
| Dehua: 教我一个绕口令。 (Jiāo wǒ yīgè ràokǒulìng.) |
| Michael: Then, Haoran responds with the tongue twister, |
| Dehua: 四是四，十是十。 (Sì shì sì, shí shì shí.) |
| Michael: which translates in English to "Four is four. Ten is ten." |
| Michael: In Chinese, just like in English and many other languages, tongue twisters are a fun way to practice your pronunciation with these silly phrases that often use alliteration to keep you on your toes and twist your tongue in knots. When you’re first learning a language, and even when you reach a more advanced level, tongue twisters are a great way to perfect your enunciation. Challenge yourself by speeding up the tongue twister every time or compete against a friend to see how many times you can repeat the phrase without making a mistake. |
| Let’s look at a few other Chinese tongue twisters and their translations. Then, pause to try them out yourself. |
| Michael: Here’s the first tongue twister: |
| Dehua: 吃葡萄不吐葡萄皮 (chī pútao bù tǔ pútao pí) |
| Dehua: (repeat) 吃葡萄不吐葡萄皮 (chī pútao bù tǔ pútao pí) |
| Michael: This translates to “eating grapes without spitting out the skin” |
| And here’s the second tongue twister: |
| Dehua: 一面小花鼓，鼓上画老虎。(Yī miàn xiǎo huāgǔ, gǔ shàng huà lǎohǔ.) |
| Dehua: (repeat) 一面小花鼓，鼓上画老虎。(Yī miàn xiǎo huāgǔ, gǔ shàng huà lǎohǔ.) |
| Michael: This translates to “ There is a little drum, on which is a drawing of a tiger.” |
| Michael: Can you think of any other tongue twisters? Consider practicing a new tongue twister each week to make pronunciation practice in Chinese fun and easy to do! |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the sentences we’ve heard in this lesson. I’ll say the sentence in English, and then I want you to try and reply in Chinese. Dehua will then model the correct answer—listen to her carefully and repeat, with emphasis on your pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how to say "Teach me a tongue twister?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dehua: 教我一个绕口令。 (Jiāo wǒ yīgè ràokǒulìng.) |
| Michael: Did you get it right? Listen again and repeat. |
| Dehua: 教我一个绕口令。 (Jiāo wǒ yīgè ràokǒulìng.) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dehua: 教我一个绕口令。 (Jiāo wǒ yīgè ràokǒulìng.) |
| Michael: Now for our next sentence. Do you remember how to say "Four is four. Ten is ten?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dehua: 四是四，十是十。 (Sì shì sì, shí shì shí.) |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Dehua: 四是四，十是十。 (Sì shì sì, shí shì shí.) |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dehua: 四是四，十是十。 (Sì shì sì, shí shì shí.) |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: Did you know that, in China, tongue twisters are often part of the training for occupations such as presenters and actors? |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Dehua: 再见！ (zàijiàn!) |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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