ping4 sing1平聲平声
Jyutpingping4 sing1
Yalepìhng sīng
Definition
The level tone category in Chinese languages, one of the four traditional tones.
neutralother
How it's used
Refers specifically to the historical classification of Chinese tones rather than a description of current pitch. It functions primarily as a technical term in linguistics or classical poetry analysis. In modern Cantonese, it is essential to distinguish between the yin-level and yang-level tones to correctly identify the first and fourth tones.
Examples
This character is read in a level tone, not an oblique tone.
Related words
Common phrases
level and oblique tones
Common mistake
Learners often confuse the historical category of平聲 with the actual pitch of a word, assuming it must be a flat, unchanging tone. In Cantonese, the yang-level tone actually starts low and rises slightly, so the name is purely a traditional label rather than a phonetic description.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
