LingoDrop
Chinese · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "外套" in Chinese?
wai-TAO, both syllables dropping hard. Lip-rounding to start the first, a strong puff of air to start the second.
wàitào
Each half drops hard, and no rule intervenes. As always, the first is compressed and does not descend all the way while the second takes the fuller drop. Both finals are also long diphthongs, so this is a word with a lot of vowel movement and two big pitch descents happening simultaneously.
Listen: 外套
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
外面冷，穿上外套。
Wàimiàn lěng, chuān shàng wàitào.
It's cold outside, put on your jacket.
Listen: 外面冷，穿上外套。
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外面冷，穿上外套。 gives wài falling, miàn falling, lěng dipping, then after the comma chuān level, shàng falling, wài falling, tào falling. Four descents in eight syllables. Lěng keeps its full dip because the comma separates it from what follows.
Where English speakers slip
Too little breath on the t gives dào, a very common word. Push the air. On the first syllable, the lip-rounding often disappears so wài becomes "eye". And the two long glides get shortened, which robs both fourth tones of the space they need — say the word slowly and let each vowel travel its full distance.