How to pronounce Bruce Lee (李小龙) in Chinese
Bruce Lee’s Chinese name is 李小龙, Lǐ Xiǎolóng, "Little Dragon": said lí xiǎo lóng, rising, low, rising. Hear 李小龙 (lǐ xiǎo lóng) spoken, see what it means, then record yourself for instant AI feedback on your pronunciation.
李小龙
lǐ xiǎo lóng
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Characters & meanings
(surname) plum
small, little
dragon
Common mistake
Two third tones in a row: lǐ rises (lí). Then xiǎo stays low before the rising lóng.
Bruce Lee in Mandarin: what to get right
Bruce Lee (1940–1973), born in San Francisco and raised in Hong Kong, was known in Chinese as 李小龙: surname Lǐ, given name "little dragon". In Cantonese it is Lei Siu-lung; this page scores the Mandarin.
How English speakers usually say it
Most people know only "Bruce Lee". Reading the pinyin, the slips are "zee-ow" or "shao" for xiǎo and an English "long" for lóng.
How to say 李小龙 tone by tone
Lǐ and xiǎo are both third tones, so the first one changes: say lí, rising. Xiǎo then sits low (it is before a second tone). Lóng: "loong", rising. Rise, low, rise: this is the most useful tone-change name on the list.
The recorder below scores the Mandarin, 李小龙 (lǐ xiǎo lóng): every syllable’s tone, initial and final. Check your tones on more words.
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