More Tongue Twisters

Now that we've covered some basic tongue twisters, it's time to ramp up the level of difficulty. Try saying these tongue twisters five times fast. See if you can get as good as Jackie Chan:

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青青山上一根籐

青籐地下掛銅鈴

風吹籐動銅鈴動

風停籐停銅鈴停

qīng qīng shān shàng yī gēn téng
qīng téng dǐ xià guà tóng líng
fēng chuī téng dòng tóng líng dòng
fēng tíng téng tíng tóng líng tíng

Translation: On a green mountain grows a vine. Under the vine there hangs a copper bell. When the wind blows, the vine moves, and so does the bell. When the wind stops, the vine stops, and the bell stops too.

老頭兒端湯上塔
湯燙
塔滑
湯灑
湯燙塔

lǎotóur duān tāng shàng tǎ
tāng tàng
tǎ huá
tāng sǎ
tāng tàng tǎ.

Translation: An old man, holding (a bowl of) soup, climbed up a tower. The soup was hot. The tower (steps) slippery; (so) the soup got spilt (and) the soup scalded the tower (steps).

黑蝴蝶飛，
灰蝴蝶飛，
黑蝴蝶飛完，
會蝴蝶飛。

hēi húdǐe fēi,
hūi húdǐe fēi,
hēi húdǐe fēiwán,
hūi húdǐe fēi.

Translation: The black butterfly flies, the gray butterfly flies, after the black butterfly flies, the gray butterfly flies.

村前有个颜圆眼
村后有个颜眼圆
不知颜圆眼的眼圆
还是颜眼圆的眼圆？

cūn qián yǒu gè yán yuán yǎn
cūn hòu yǒu g4 yán yǎn yuán
bù zhī yán yuán yǎn dē yǎn yuán
hái shì yán yǎn yuán dē yǎn yuán?

Translation: In front of the village there is a Yan Yuanyan. Behind the village there is a Yan Yanyuan. Don't know if Yan Yuanyan's eyes are rounder or Yan Yanyuan's eyes are rounder.

红凤凰

黄凤凰

粉红凤凰

粉凤凰飞

Hóng fènghuáng
huáng fènghuáng
fěnhóng fènghuáng
fěn fènghuáng fēi

Translation: Red phoenix, yellow phoenix, pink phoenix, pink phoenix fly.

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Growth of Mandarin WorldWide

In many respects, however, computerization of Chinese will facilitate commercial functions, and the race is already on, among start-up firms and corporate giants alike, to produce the software of choice for the Chinese language market. The english term "Mandarin" refers to the northeastern Chinese dialect that China's rulers have long promoted as a unifying language. Within China this dialect is referred to as "standard speech" (putonghua); outside China, it may be called "country language" (guoyu) or simply "Chinese" (huayu). Most Taiwanese speak fluent Mandarin, as do most educated mainlanders. Large numbers of Hong Kongers, who traditionally speak Cantonese dialect, are brushing up their Mandarin for post-1997 PRC rule. Similarly, business and cultural ties with China and Taiwan are reinvigorating Mandarin usage among the twenty to twenty-five million ethnic Chinese throughout Southeast Asia. Mandarin has always been the language of high culture among the Chinese within China and abroad. It is now becoming the language of pop culture as well. Taiwanese and Hong Kong movies, television shows, and music formerly produced in dialects, like Cantonese or Hokkien, are increasingly made for distribution to the wider Mandarin market. The international success of Chinese artists such as filmmakers Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine) and Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern; To Live) adds to the allure of Mandarin among the young. Until recently the designation of Mandarin as the ...

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