Definition
四声 is a linguistic term with two related meanings: it can refer to the entire system of four tones in Standard Chinese (first tone 阴平, second tone 阳平, third tone 上声, fourth tone 去声), or it can specifically mean the fourth tone (falling tone). In context, the intended sense is usually clear — when talking about tone categories as a whole, 四声 means 'the four tones'; when contrasting with other tones or describing a syllable's tone, it means 'the fourth tone'. This is an HSK 7-level word used in phonetics and language learning contexts.
n.
the four tones of Standard Chinese (first, second, third, fourth)the fourth tone (falling tone) in Standard Chinese
Examples
- ，四声。Pǔtōnghuà yǒu sì gè shēngdiào, chēng wéi sì shēng.Standard Chinese has four tones, called the four tones.
- 四声，。Zhège zì de shēngdiào shì sì shēng, yào dú chéng xiàjiàng de.The tone of this character is the fourth tone; it should be read as falling.
- 四声，。Xuéxí sì shēng shí, yào zhùyì měi gè shēngdiào de gāodī biànhuà.When studying the four tones, pay attention to the pitch changes of each tone.
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