绕口令 (ràokǒulìng) Tongue Twister (Beginner)

绕口令 (ràokǒulìng) Tongue Twister

茄子和鞋子 (qiézi hé xiézi) Eggplant and Shoes 　

Listen to the tongue twister

Key Learning Points (Preview):
鞋子 (xiézi): n shoe
茄子 (qiézi): n eggplant 　

Yígè xiǎo háizi,
一个 小 孩子， 　
There was a little child,

Shǒu ná shuāng xiézi.
手 拿 双 鞋子。 　
Who had a pair of shoes in his hand.

Kànjiàn dìshàng yǒu qiézi,
看见 地上 有 茄子， 　
He saw an eggplant on the ground,

Fàng xià xiézi jiǎn qiézi.
放 下 鞋子 捡 茄子。 　
He put aside the shoes and picked up the eggplant.

Jiǎn qǐ le qiézi,
捡 起了 茄子， 　
As he picked up the eggplant,

Wàngjì le xiézi.
忘记 了 鞋子。 　
He forgot his shoes.

Key Learning Points:

鞋子 (xiézi): n shoe 　
The character “鞋 (xié)” means shoe. “子 (zǐ)” here, is an auxiliary word.

when “子” is placed in front of a character or is used alone, it takes the falling and raising (i.e., 3rd) tone.

Example:
子女 (zǐnǚ) children/ sons and daughters 　

Tā hěn téng’ài zìjǐ de zǐnǚ.
他 很 疼爱 自己 的子女。 　
He is very affectionate towards his children.

when “子” is placed after a character, it takes the light tone.

Example:
Wǒ de xiézi pò le, míngtiān děi mǎi shuāng xīn de.
我 的 鞋子 破 了，明天 得 买 双 新 的。 　
My shoes were damaged, and I have to buy a new pair tomorrow.

Many foreigners find it difficult to pronounce the initial consonant “x.” The followings are some Chinese words or expressions beginning with “x.”

写 (xiě) to write 　
下课 (xiàkè) class dismissed 　
心情很好 (xīnqíng hěnhǎo) be in a good mood
茄子 (qiézi): n eggplant 　

The character “茄 (qié)” means eggplant and “子 (zǐ)” is an auxiliary word here. It is common for foreigners to say “cheese” when they take photos but Chinese people prefer to say “茄子 (qiézi).”

Example:
A: Nǐ zuì xǐhuan chī nǎ zhǒng shūcài?
你 最 喜欢 吃 哪 种 蔬菜？ 　
Which is your favorite vegetable?

B: Qiézi! hóng shāo qiézi shì wǒ zuì xǐhuan de yí dào cài.
茄子！红 烧 茄子 是 我 最 喜欢 的 一 道 菜。 　
Eggplant! “Hongshao eggplant” is my favorite dish.

The initial consonant “q” is difficult for Chinese learners to pronounce as well. Here are some Chinese words and expressions beginning with “q.”

请进 (qǐngjìn) come in, please 　
汽车 (qìchē) car
穷人 (qióngrén) the poor