LingoDrop
Chinese · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "妻子" in Chinese?
chee-dz: a high level first syllable with a strong puff of air, then a weak toneless second with no real vowel.
qīzi
Level then nothing. The word is a neat demonstration that pinyin's i is context-dependent: after q it is a genuine "ee", and after z it is a buzz with no vowel quality at all. Having both in one two-syllable word makes the point better than any rule could.
Listen: 妻子
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
他妻子是律师。
Tā qīzi shì lǜshī.
His wife is a lawyer.
Listen: 他妻子是律师。
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他妻子是律师。 gives tā level, qī level, zi fading, shì falling, lǜ falling, shī level. The two level syllables at the start form a plateau, and lǜ contains the ü vowel written with a diaeresis because it follows l rather than one of j, q, x or y. Two falls in the middle need separate resets.
Where English speakers slip
A weak release on the q gives jī, a different word. Push the air out. The second syllable draws the usual "zee", importing a vowel that is not there. And because both syllables are spelled with an i, learners often pronounce them alike — which is exactly the trap the spelling sets.