三石山 (Sānshíshān) Three-stone Mountain
Wǒjiā zhùzài Sānshíshān,
我家 住在 三石山，
My family is living on the Three-stone Mountain.
shānqián shānhòu sānzuòshān,
山前 山后 三座山，
Front and back, there are three mountains in total.
shānxià yǒuzuò shuǐdiànzhàn,
山下 有座 水电站，
A hydropower station is located at the foot of the mountain,
shānshang dàshù sānzhàngsān.
山上 大树 三丈三。
and a big tree growing on the top of the mountain is about thirty-three feet in height.
This is a tongue twister which focuses on practicing the difference in pronunciation between the consonants “sh” and “s.” In order to read it better, let us get familiar with the pronunciation rules of these two consonants.
The consonant “sh” is pronounced as the same “sh” in the word ca
.
Here are the characters in this tongue twister in which consonants are pronounced as “sh:”
山(shān)
石(shí)
水(shuǐ)
上(shàng)
树(shù)
The consonant “s” is pronounced as the same “s” in the word
ee.
The character in this tongue twister in which the consonant is pronounced as “s” is:
三(sān)
By the way, 丈(zhàng) is a measure word in Chinese, and one 丈(zhàng) is equal to about 10 feet or 3.33 meters.
Ready? Let’s read the tongue twister out loud!
Vocabulary:
1. 家: jiā
Nǐjiā zhēn piàoliang!
你
真 漂亮！。
Your house is so beautiful!
Wǒ xiǎng huíjiā.
我 想 回
。
I want to go home.
2. 座: zuò
Zhèizuò chéngshì shì wǒde jiāxiāng.
这
城市 是 我的 家乡。
This city is my hometown.
Wǒmen xuéxiào yǒu sānzuò túshūguǎn.
我们 学校 有 三
图书馆。
There are three libraries in our university.
3. 站: zhàn
Huǒchēzhànde rén zhēnduō!
火车
的 人 真多！
It is very crowded at the train station.
Shìjièshang dìyīzuò shuǐdiànzhàn zài fǎguó.
世界上 第一座 水电
在 法国。
The world’s first hydropower station is in France.
Exercises:
1. Which one of the following choices best fits in this blank “一____大山(yí____dàshān)?”
A. 条(tiáo)
B. 棵(kē)
C. 座(zuò)
2. Which one is the correct pinyin for the sentence: 山上有三块石头。(There are three stones on the mountain.)?
A. Shānshang yǒu shānkuài sítou.
B. Sānshang yǒu sānkuài sítou.
C. Shānshang yǒu sānkuài shítou.
HSK Test
General Chinese (Beginner Level)
General Chinese (Intermediate Level)