Chinese

• Mandarin
  • Pinyin
  • Pinyin syllable structure
  • Tones
• Taiwanese Mandarin
  • Zhuyin
    • Zhuyin origin
  • Tones
  • Reduction
    • Phonetic reduction
  • Notes requiring verification
    • dropping initials in compound words
• Hokkien
• Grammar
  • X不X/X不XY
• Hanzi
  • 合成字/合文
• Weird Hanzi

Mandarin

Pinyin

	-	b	p	m	f	d	t	n	l	g	k	h	j	q	x	z	c	s	zh	ch	sh	r
apical i																zi	ci	si	zhi	chi	shi	ri
a	a	ba	pa	ma	fa	da	ta	na	la	ga	ka	ha				za	ca	sa	zha	cha	sha
ai	ai	bai	pai	mai		dai	tai	nai	lai	gai	kai	hai				zai	cai	sai	zhai	chai	shai
an	an	ban	pan	man	fan	dan	tan	nan	lan	gan	kan	han				zan	can	san	zhan	chan	shan	ran
ang	ang	bang	pang	mang	fang	dang	tang	nang	lang	gang	kang	hang				zang	cang	sang	zhang	chang	shang	rang
ao	ao	bao	pao	mao		dao	tao	nao	lao	gao	kao	hao				zao	cao	sao	zhao	chao	shao	rao
e	e			me		de	te	ne	le	ge	ke	he				ze	ce	se	zhe	che	she	re
ei	ei	bei	pei	mei	fei	dei		nei	lei	gei		hei				zei			zhei		shei
en	en	ben	pen	men	fen			nen		gen	ken	hen				zen	cen	sen	zhen	chen	shen	ren
eng	eng	beng	peng	meng	feng	deng	teng	neng	leng	geng	keng	heng				zeng	ceng	seng	zheng	cheng	sheng	reng
er	er
i	yi	bi	pi	mi		di	ti	ni	li				ji	qi	xi
ia	ya					dia			lia				jia	qia	xia
ian	yan	bian	pian	mian		dian	tian	nian	lian				jian	qian	xian
iang	yang							niang	liang				jiang	qiang	xiang
iao	yao	biao	piao	miao		diao	tiao	niao	liao				jiao	qiao	xiao
ie	ye	bie	pie	mie		die	tie	nie	lie				jie	qie	xie
in	yin	bin	pin	min				nin	lin				jin	qin	xin
ing	ying	bing	ping	ming		ding	ting	ning	ling				jing	qing	xing
iong	yong												jiong	qiong	xiong
iou	you			miu		diu		niu	liu				jiu	qiu	xiu
o	o	bo	po	mo	fo
ong						dong	tong	nong	long	gong	kong	hong				zong	cong	song	zhong	chong		rong
ou	ou		pou	mou	fou	dou	tou		lou	gou	kou	hou				zou	cou	sou	zhou	chou	shou	rou
u	wu	bu	pu	mu	fu	du	tu	nu	lu	gu	ku	hu				zu	cu	su	zhu	chu	shu	ru
ua	wa									gua	kua	hua							zhua		shua
uai	wai									guai	kuai	huai							zhuai	chuai	shuai
uan	wan					duan	tuan	nuan	luan	guan	kuan	huan				zuan	cuan	suan	zhuan	chuan	shuan	ruan
uang	wang									guang	kuang	huang							zhuang	chuang	shuang
uei	wei					dui	tui			gui	kui	hui				zui	cui	sui	zhui	chui	shui	rui
uen	wen					dun	tun		lun	gun	kun	hun				zun	cun	sun	zhun	chun	shun	run
ueng	weng
uo	wo					duo	tuo	nuo	luo	guo	kuo	huo				zuo	cuo	suo	zhuo	chuo	shuo	ruo
ü	yu							nü	lü				ju	qu	xu
üan	yuan												juan	quan	xuan
üe	yue							nüe	lüe				jue	que	xue
ün	yun												jun	qun	xun

Pinyin syllable structure

Pinyin combines an optional initial with a final. The table above shows the standard Mandarin syllable combinations. The spelling i in zi, ci, si, zhi, chi, shi, ri represents a syllabic vowel whose actual phonetic realization differs from the vowel in mi or xi.

After j, q, x, and y, the umlaut is normally omitted in Pinyin: ju, qu, xu, yu represent /tɕy, tɕʰy, ɕy, y/ rather than /u/. In forms such as nü and lü, the diaeresis is retained because it distinguishes ü from u.

Tones

Mandarin is normally described with four lexical tones plus a neutral tone. Tone can change in connected speech, and tone sandhi can be lexically or contextually conditioned.

Taiwanese Mandarin

Zhuyin

		Rhyme
			ㄚ	ㄛ	ㄜ	ㄝ	ㄞ	ㄟ	ㄠ	ㄡ	ㄢ	ㄣ	ㄤ	ㄥ	ㄦ
Medial		[ɨ] (ㄭ) 1 -i	[a] ㄚ a -a	[o] ㄛ 3 o -o 3	[ɤ] ㄜ e -e	[ɛ] ㄝ ê	[ai̯] ㄞ ai -ai	[ei̯] ㄟ ei -ei	[ɑu̯] ㄠ ao -ao	[ou̯] ㄡ ou -ou	[an] ㄢ an -an	[ən] ㄣ en -en	[ɑŋ] ㄤ ang -ang	[ɤŋ] ㄥ eng -eng	[aɚ] ㄦ er
	ㄧ	[i] ㄧ yi -i	[i̯a] ㄧㄚ ya -ia	[i̯o] ㄧㄛ yo		[i̯ɛ] ㄧㄝ ye -ie	[i̯ai̯] ㄧㄞ yai		[i̯ɑu̯] ㄧㄠ yao -iao	[i̯ou̯] ㄧㄡ you -iu	[i̯ɛn] ㄧㄢ yan -ian	[in] ㄧㄣ yin -in	[i̯ɑŋ] ㄧㄤ yang -iang	[iŋ] ㄧㄥ ying -ing
	ㄨ	[u] ㄨ wu -u	[u̯a] ㄨㄚ wa -ua	[u̯o] ㄨㄛ 3 wo -uo 3			[u̯ai̯] ㄨㄞ wai -uai	[u̯ei̯] ㄨㄟ wei -ui			[u̯an] ㄨㄢ wan -uan	[u̯ən] ㄨㄣ wen -un	[u̯ɑŋ] ㄨㄤ wang -uang	[u̯ɤŋ], [ʊŋ] ㄨㄥ weng -ong 4
	ㄩ	[y] ㄩ yu -ü 2				[y̯ɛ] ㄩㄝ yue -üe 2					[y̯ɛn] ㄩㄢ yuan -üan 2	[yn] ㄩㄣ yun -ün 2		[i̯ʊŋ] ㄩㄥ yong -iong

Zhuyin origin

Tones

needs verification:
apparently characters are pronounced differently in taiwanese mandarin than in standard mandarin

here are some common ones (Guóyǔ/Pǔtōnghuà):

• 息 xí / xī
• 識 (识) shì / shí
• 擊 (击) jí / jī
• 擁 (拥) yǒng / yōng
• 惜 xí / xī
• 微 wéi / wēi
• 期 qí / qī
• 跌 dié / diē
• 跡 (迹) jī / jì
• 究 jiù / jiū
• 突 tú / tū
• 崖 yái / yá
• 暫 (暂) zhàn / zàn
• 血 xiě / xuè
• 熟 shóu / shú
• 垃圾 lèsè / lājī

Reduction

Phonetic reduction

Depending on region, speaker, and style, some Taiwan Mandarin speakers may show mergers or reductions in connected speech. These are not universal features of Taiwan Mandarin:

• sh -> s for example: 山 shān might sound like sān
• zh -> z for example: 中 zhōng might sound like zōng
• ch -> c for example: 茶 chá might sound like cá
• r -> ɹ/ɻ for example: 日 rì might sound like ɹì (similar to the English “r”) Similar reductions are also reported in some Singaporean/Malaysian Mandarin varieties:
• x → s for example: 小 xiǎo may be realized closer to siǎo in some speech varieties Despite these phonetic differences, standard Zhuyin and Pinyin orthography normally remains unchanged.

Notes requiring verification

The following are useful hypotheses about regional pronunciation, but I would not treat them as general rules without checking a specific phonological source or speaker sample:

• eng after b-, f-, m-, p-, and w- may be realized closer to ong in some Taiwan varieties: 風 fēng → something closer to fōng
• -uo, -ou, and -e may be centralized or otherwise reduced in casual speech
• some speakers show partial or variable merger of -n and -ng
• some speakers show n/l variation in particular environments
• -ei and -ui may be simplified in fast speech
• the front rounded vowel /y/ may be variably unrounded in some regional speech
• /w/ can have a more labial or approximant-like realization

dropping initials in compound words

for example:
真的嗎 can be pronounced as zhēnemá
今天 can be pronounced as jīniān
非常 can be pronounced as fēiáng

Hokkien

Hokkien – Computing

Grammar

X不X/X不XY

X不X is a common question structure in Chinese, for example:

• 有沒有 yǒu méiyǒu
• 知道不知道 zhīdào bù zhīdào
• 喜歡不喜歡 xǐhuān bù xǐhuān
• 會不會 huì bù huì

If X is actually a two-character expression, the yes-no question can often be shortened by placing 不 after the first character:

XY 不 XY → X 不 XY

• 知不知道 zhī bù zhīdào
• 喜不喜歡 xǐ bù xǐhuān

Hanzi

合成字/合文

this one i found in the mountains in taiwan, i believe it says
招財進寶
日日有見財
日進斗金
黃金萬兩

Weird Hanzi