Chinese Tongue Twisters
Classic 绕口令 from easy to brutal — hear each at slow and normal speed, then try it yourself.
四是四，十是十，十四是十四，四十是四十。
Sì shì sì, shí shì shí, shísì shì shísì, sìshí shì sìshí.
Four is four, ten is ten, fourteen is fourteen, forty is forty.
妈妈骑马，马慢，妈妈骂马。
Māma qí mǎ, mǎ màn, māma mà mǎ.
Mom rides a horse, the horse is slow, mom scolds the horse.
吃葡萄不吐葡萄皮，不吃葡萄倒吐葡萄皮。
Chī pútao bù tǔ pútao pí, bù chī pútao dào tǔ pútao pí.
Eat grapes without spitting the skins; don’t eat grapes yet spit the skins.
知道就说知道，不知道就说不知道。
Zhīdào jiù shuō zhīdào, bù zhīdào jiù shuō bù zhīdào.
If you know, say you know; if you don’t, say you don’t.
八百标兵奔北坡，炮兵并排北边跑。
Bābǎi biāobīng bēn běi pō, pàobīng bìngpái běibiān pǎo.
Eight hundred guardsmen dash up the north slope; artillerymen run side by side in the north.
红凤凰，黄凤凰，粉红凤凰花凤凰。
Hóng fènghuáng, huáng fènghuáng, fěnhóng fènghuáng huā fènghuáng.
Red phoenix, yellow phoenix, pink phoenix, flowery phoenix.
天上一个盆，地上一个棚，盆碰棚，棚碰盆。
Tiānshàng yí gè pén, dìshàng yí gè péng, pén pèng péng, péng pèng pén.
A basin in the sky, a shed on the ground; the basin bumps the shed, the shed bumps the basin.
老龙恼怒闹老农，老农恼怒闹老龙。
Lǎo lóng nǎonù nào lǎo nóng, lǎo nóng nǎonù nào lǎo lóng.
The old dragon angrily pesters the old farmer; the old farmer angrily pesters the old dragon.
牛郎恋刘娘，刘娘念牛郎。
Niúláng liàn Liú niáng, Liú niáng niàn niúláng.
The cowherd loves Miss Liu; Miss Liu misses the cowherd.
黑化肥发灰，灰化肥发黑。
Hēi huàféi fā huī, huī huàféi fā hēi.
Black fertilizer turns gray; gray fertilizer turns black.
Tongue twisters (绕口令, ràokǒulìng — "mouth-winding chants") are how Chinese broadcasters, actors and opera students drill articulation, and they target exactly the contrasts that mark a foreign accent: s vs sh, n vs l, b vs p, en vs eng. The most famous — 四是四，十是十 — exists precisely because sì/shì trips up southern Chinese speakers too.
Train them the way professionals do: listen at slow speed, exaggerate the articulation, and only then speed up. Clean and slow beats fast and mushy every time. When one feels solid, paste it into the practice page and let the AI score every syllable — a tongue twister you can pass at full speed is proof the contrast is truly yours.
What does 绕口令 mean?
Literally "winding-mouth chant". They are a standard articulation drill in Chinese broadcasting schools and opera training, not just a children's game.
Which tongue twister should I start with?
四是四，十是十 — slow. It isolates the single most valuable contrast for learners (s vs sh with tones 4 and 2), and every Chinese person knows it, so it doubles as a party trick.
They are too fast for me — am I doing it wrong?
Speed is the last step, not the first. Use the slow audio, master each phrase cleanly, then build up. Native performers practice the same way.
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