The many tones of 'yi'

rsmith91
 March 11, 2008, 07:48 PM posted in General Discussion

When I first learned the numbers in Mandarin, I always thought that 'yi', the number 1, was first tone.

 Since then I've also seen it with second and third tones - is it purely to make it sound nicer (like bu changes from 2 to 4), or do you give 'yi' a different tone for different meanings?

 Thanks to anyone who can help me out on this one!

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calkins
 March 11, 2008, 09:02 PM

rsmith91, I'm not sure why it's done, but here are the rules: 一 yī is a first tone syllable, but when it comes before the first, second, or third tones it is pronounced in the fourth tone: 一些 yì xiē (a few) 一直 yì zhí (continue; straight ahead) 一点 yì diǎn (a little) When 一 yī comes before a fourth tone, it is pronounced in the second tone: 一定 yí dìng (certain) Don't quote me on this part...but, I guess when you think about it, yī is a first tone only when it is by itself, is followed by a neutral tone, or doesn't have a word following it. Hmmmmm.

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rsmith91
 March 11, 2008, 09:06 PM

Thanks calkins - that really helps. I presume it's just down to making it flow more.