Standard Chinese Phonology - Tones - Relationship Between Middle Chinese and Modern Tones

Relationship Between Middle Chinese and Modern Tones

Relationship between Middle Chinese and modern tones:

V- = unvoiced initial consonant
L = sonorant initial consonant
V+ = voiced initial consonant (not sonorant)

Middle Chinese Tone Ping (平) Shang (上) Qu (去) Ru (入)
Initial V- L V+ V- L V+ V- L V+ V- L V+
Standard Chinese Tone name Yin Ping
(陰平, 1)
Yang Ping
(陽平, 2)
Shang
(上, 3)
Qu
(去, 4)
redistributed
with no pattern
to Qu to Yang Ping
Tone contour 55 35 214 51 to 51 to 35

Read more about this topic:  Standard Chinese Phonology, Tones

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