First Tone
(Blue Sky) First Tone (High and Level) – 天 (tiān) Sky/Air: The first tone is high and flat, like the unchanging expanse of the sky or air. Practical Application: For mā (妈) (mother, first tone): Imagine milk raining from a mother’s breasts made out of clouds.
Second Tone
(Green Forest) Second Tone (Rising) – 林 (lín) Trees/Forest 🌳
The second tone starts low and rises, just like trees stretching upwards toward the sun in a vast green forest. It mimics the way a young sapling grows taller over time, reaching higher and higher.
Practical Application: For má (麻) (hemp, second tone) → Imagine hemp plants sprouting and growing tall in a dense forest, their leaves reaching up toward the sky.
Third Tone
(Red fire) Third Tone (Low and Dipping then Rising) – 火 (huǒ) Fire/Hell: The third tone dips down and then rises, like descending into a fiery volcaneo and climbing back out.
Practical Application: For mǎ (马) (horse, third tone): Imagine a horse lit on fire.
Fourth Tone
(Brown Rock) Fourth Tone (Falling) – 地 (dì) Earth/Rock: The fourth tone drops sharply, like a rock falling or a cliffside collapsing.
Practical Application: For mà (骂) (scold, fourth tone): Imagine being scolded by a giant boulder for throwing little defenseless pebbles.
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