first tone; high level tone
Meanings
1 sense · 5 examplesnoun
first tone in Standard Mandarin; high level tone
technicalLinguistic term referring to the high level tone (pitch value 55) in Modern Standard Mandarin. Historically derived from the level tone (平声) category of Middle Chinese with voiceless initial consonants (清声母). Contrasts with 阳平 (second tone), 上声 (third tone), and 去声 (fourth tone). See also 四声.
The first tone is a high level tone, maintained at a steady pitch when pronounced.
There are many characters with the first tone in Mandarin, such as tiān (sky), shān (mountain), and gāo (high).
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Characters from the level tone category with voiceless initials in Old Chinese generally carry the first tone in Modern Standard Mandarin.
The character mā has the first tone.
When learning Mandarin, one must first master the pitch of the first tone, keeping it high and level.