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Where Should the Tone Mark Be Placed?

In Chinese Pinyin classes, students often ask, “Where should the tone mark be placed?” Among beginners, some tend to place the tone marks casually and randomly, which is very irregular. This issue needs to be taken seriously in teaching.

Part IV of the Plan for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet clearly states: “The tone mark is placed on the main vowel of the syllable. Neutral tone is not marked.” The “main vowel” refers to the main vowel of the final, specifically the medial vowel nucleus. For syllables that include the finals ɑ, o, e (ê), these vowels are the main ones. For finals that are single vowels like i, u, ü, then i, u, ü themselves are the main vowels.

Many finals in Pinyin are compound vowels, so it is necessary to know which vowel is the nucleus of the final. The tone mark is then placed on that vowel.

For syllables that contain the vowel “ɑ”, the tone mark must be placed on “ɑ”. For example:

dàjiā (大家), shuǎi diào (甩掉)
shào nián (少年), guān guāng (观光)
tài liáng (太凉), yuǎn fāng (远方)

If the main vowel is “o” or “e” (including “ê”), the tone mark is placed on “o” or “e”. For example:

pósuō (婆娑), gèsè (个色)
cuō shǒu (搓手), jiě jué (解决)
tóu tòng (头痛), děng rén (等人)
shòu qióng (受穷), téng fēi (腾飞)

For compound finals like ei, ie, üe, the tone mark is also placed on “e”. For example:

jiě mèi (姐妹), yuèyè (月夜), měi wèi (美味)
tiē qiè (贴切), yuē lüè (约略), xuéjiè (学界)

For syllables where i, u, or ü is the main vowel, the tone mark is placed on i, u, or ü. For example:

jī qì (机器), qǐng jìn (请进)
xǐ yī (洗衣), dīng níng (叮咛)
tǐ lì (体力), pīn mìng (拼命)
hútu (糊涂), lùn zhù (论著)
shūfu (舒服), chū chūn (初春)
yǔ jù (语句), xún nǚ (寻女)
lǚ jū (旅居), yùn lǜ (韵律)

For syllables such as zhi, chi, shi, ri, zi, ci, si, the tone mark is also placed on “i”. For example:

zhī shi (知识), zì cí (字词)
chì zì (赤字), rì shí (日蚀)

The Plan for the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet also stipulates: when finals iou, uei, and uen combine with initials, they are written as iu, ui, and un. In these cases, the original main vowel “o”, “e”, or “e” is no longer visible. The tone mark is conventionally placed on the second vowel letter—“u” in “iu”, “i” in “ui”, and “u” in “un”. For example:

huí guī (回归), kuì duì (愧对)
shuǐ niú (水牛), chuī qì qiú (吹气球)
lún dūn (伦敦), liú yún (流云)

Many teachers have accumulated rich experience in teaching Pinyin and have come up with simple, catchy, and easy-to-remember rhymes to help students quickly grasp Pinyin rules. One such rhyme about tone placement is:

If there’s an “ɑ”, don’t miss it;

If no “ɑ”, look for “o” or “e”.

In the order ɑ, o, e, i, u, ü,

Place the tone mark accordingly.

If “i” and “u” appear together,

Place the tone on the one that comes last.

This rhyme roughly reflects the general rules for tone mark placement in Chinese Pinyin.

One point to note: when “i” is the main vowel, the tone mark is placed on “i”, and the dot above the “i” should be removed. When “i” is not the main vowel, no tone is marked on it, and the dot is retained. For example:

lì shǐ (历史), jīng yíng (晶莹)
qìng xìng (庆幸), lì tí (例题)
zài jiàn (再见), xióng wěi (雄伟)
qiú duì (球队), kāi huì (开会)

Neutral tone is not marked. For example:

zhuōzi (桌子), yéye (爷爷)
shítou (石头), kèqi (客气)
wǒmen (我们), zǒu ba (走吧)
nǐ de (你的), róngyi (容易)
zěnme le (怎么了), shàng qu ba (上去吧)
qù bu qù (去不去), tán yi tán (谈一谈)

In conclusion, the placement of tone marks in Pinyin follows regular patterns and is easy to grasp. Teachers should provide students with a clear understanding of tone concepts and tone mark placement from the very beginning. Students should also start by memorizing tone mark positions carefully and make a conscious effort to place the tone marks correctly while writing. This helps them develop a habit of writing tones accurately, ensuring correct pronunciation and avoiding tone placement errors that could lead to mispronunciation.

(Beijing Chinese Language and Culture College – Bai Yongsheng)

汉典 Chinese Dictionary This is an excellent Chinese dictionary for advanced learners. It provides comprehensive information about each Chinese character, including detailed explanations of its form, structure, and origin.