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What's that plummeting to the ground? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Our confidence? The stock market?

No... this time it's the fourth tone, the eldest and most bitter of the four tones in mandarin, Chinese.

If you noticed our earlier lessons on the first three tones you probably saw this coming a mile away. For

those who haven't, today we're continuing our series on the four tones with a lesson dedicated exclusively

to the fourth tone. If you're trying to get your head around this wonderful tonal language, listen to this

podcast for a brief introduction to both the fourth tone as well as some common examples. Then head

to the vocabulary section to practice your own pronunciation against our recordings. If you're feeling

confident you can then check out our real-world examples which combine today's new vocabulary with

words we've learned earlier on. With progressive lessons like this, you'll be fluent in no time.