How to pronounce Deng Xiaoping (邓小平) in Chinese
Deng Xiaoping is 邓小平, Dèng Xiǎopíng: roughly "dung shyow-ping", falling, low, rising. Hear 邓小平 (dèng xiǎo píng) spoken, see what it means, then record yourself for instant AI feedback on your pronunciation.
邓小平
dèng xiǎo píng
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Characters & meanings
(surname)
small
flat; peaceful
Common mistake
Dèng rhymes with "hung", not "length". Xiǎo before a rising tone stays low; píng rises.
Deng Xiaoping in Mandarin: what to get right
Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997) led China from the late 1970s and launched the policy of "reform and opening up" in 1978. Dèng is the surname; 小平 means "small" + "peaceful, level".
How English speakers usually say it
English speakers say "Deng" to rhyme with "length" and "Zow-ping" or "Shao-ping" for the given name. Pinyin eng is "ung", and xiao is "shyow" with the tongue tip down.
How to say 邓小平 tone by tone
Dèng: unaspirated d, "dung", a sharp fall. Xiǎo: "shyow", low; a third tone before a second tone keeps only its low part. Píng: aspirated p, "ping", rising. The low xiǎo between a fall and a rise is the tone most people flatten.
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