The pronunciation of qu4chu4

[babelpeon]

Hello all,

First of all, what a great forum! Whenever I don't feel like studying, I just come here and after a while I get motivated again. Of course, this forum can also be a great procrastination tool

There is a common word, qu4chu4. It means to go out. The thing is, I can't seem to distinguish the difference between qu4, and chu4. I fear I may be doing it wrong. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[skylee]

It means to go out.

Then I think it should be chū qù instead (click to listen).

[babelpeon]

Skylee,

thanks, that helps a lot. I think I hear the difference now. By the way, where do you get the pronunciations?

[Gulao]

It's good that you ask this question. So many English speakers never bother to figure out the difference between these two very different syllables, and they sound like such idiots when they say this phrase.

First of all, the pinyin you're looking for is chū qù.

Ch, zh, sh and r in pinyin are all pronounced, more or less, by curling the tongue back so the tip touches the roof of the mouth. The term used to describe these is retroflex, as in bending back. In casual speech, these consonants may be articulated closer to the front of the mouth.

As for q, j and x, I was told to pronounce them thus: y'know the gums behind your teeth? I want you to feel all up and down that area with your tongue. Feel the area right behind your teeth? That's where you pronounce the English s. Right behind that is where you pronounce sh (no, your teeth don't matter for that sound). The Chinese pronounce their q, j and x by placing the blade, as opposed to the tip, of their tongue right behind that area, between that ridgeline and the roof of the mouth. Feel it? These are called blade-alveolo-palatal consonants. When pronouncing these letters, I find that it helps to put the tip of my tongue against my bottom teeth, forcing me to articulate with the body of my tongue.

The u's in these two syllables are pronounced differently as well. Whenever a u follows ch, zh, sh or r in pinyin, it is pronounced more or less exactly like an English long o. When it follows a q, j or x, however, it is pronounced more or less like a German ü, that is, your tongue is in the position of an English long e, but your lips are rounded like a long o.

I hope this is clear enough for you.

[skylee]

where do you get the pronunciations?

www.mdbg.net is a useful tool. Key in the pinyin there and you will be given the possible characters and be able to listen to the pronunciations.

[babelpeon]

Thank you gulao,

That was a great explaination. After some trial and error, I think I've finally got it.