Mandarin Monday: Beijing Accent Guide, "儿 Er" Special
It's 3AM, you're in Gulou and you're spent. All you want is to get in a taxi and head home, but the cab driver insists on having a conversation. You think you're keeping up but, he throws in more 儿's (er's) than an NBA player. "What on earth is he saying?!" you think to yourself. This is one example of the many idiosyncrasies of 北京话 (Běijīng huà, the Beijing accent/dialect). Although it is an iconic feature of this great city, you may be surprised to learn that foreigners aren't the only ones who struggle to decipher this dialect. In fact, an infographic has gone viral on Weibo recently with elementary school-style worksheets and lessons on Beijing huà. Let's check it out, and help you achieve that local Beijing accent with all the quirks and phrases that go along with it...
Here are the original photos and translation of the “儿"-related content below.
Pre-class warm up 课前热身 Kè qián rèshēn
Aren't RP (Received Pronounciation) Mandarin and Beijing huà basically the same?
Some people say that RP Mandarin is derived from the Beijing huà, and only from Beijing huà. Yet, whether it is intonation, speed of speech or daily communication habits, both RP Mandarin and Beijing huà differ from each other significantly;
They are not basically the same.
Now let's look at the difference between RP Mandarin and Beijing huà.
In RP Mandarin:
Accented words are accurate, the pace of speech is moderate.
There is a system of pronunciation rules.
Intonation is moderate.
It is easier for foreigners who are learning Chinese to understand and speak RP Mandarin.
Beijing Hua:
Accented words are quirky, the pace of speech is fast.
The use of "er" is very common at the end of certain words where they do not originally belong, seemingly without any kind of laws for when to use it.
The pitch and tone varies vastly, and certain pronunciations are more exaggerated.
Foreigners who have been learning Chinese for a long time may still have difficulty listening to and speaking in Beijing huà.
Class 1: When to use 儿
The most striking thing about the "儿" quirk is that you can hear it almost everywhere in Beijing, but it comes with a catch... there are basically no laws or rules about using it! Fear not. We have prepared some examples for you which show certain patterns that are somewhat regular, so that you can apply the 儿 into your everyday life.
1. Firstly, you can use the "儿" when describing small or petite items. For example:
Rice 米粒 (mǐlì) –> 米粒儿 (mǐlì'er)
Petal 花瓣 (huābàn) –> 花瓣儿 (huābà'er)
Similarly for place names:
东便门 (Dōng Biàn Mén) –> 东便门儿 (Dōng Biàn Mé'er)
广渠门 (Guǎng Qú Mén) –> 广渠门儿 (Guǎng Qú Mé'er)
Park 公园 (gōngyuán) –> 公园儿 (gōngyuá'er)
2. Secondly, it can also be used in descriptions of people
Thief 小偷 (xiǎotōu) –> 小偷儿 (xiǎotōu'er)
Spendthrift 败家子 (bàijiāzi) –> 败家子儿 (bàijiā'er)
3. It can be used for things you love, too
Necklace 项链 (xiàngliàn) –> 项链儿 (xiànglià'er)
Ice popsicle 冰棍 (bīnggùn) –> 冰棍儿 (bīnggù'er)
Class 2: When not to use 儿
To describe larger items, such as an elephant or a tiger, most scenic spots, most temples, and most bridges.
Class 3: The Beijing huà "swallow"
Now let's talk about the Beijing huà's "swallowing" sound! Do you remember the days on the internet when 不知道 (bù zhīdào) was stylised as 不日道 (bù rìdào)? This is called the "swallowing" sound. Once learned, your accent will sound identical to any 老哥们儿 lǎo gēme'er out there!
The 'zh', 'ch', and 'sh' sounds are sometimes changed for an 'r', especially in the second word of a three-worded phrase. Examples are shown above: 'Hello Teacher' 老师好 lǎoshī hǎo becomes lǎorī hǎo. 'Library' 图书馆 túshū guǎn becomes túrū guǎn. 'I don't know' 不知道 bù zhīdào becomes bù rìdào. It is suggested that the second word is spoken very quickly and ambiguously; if spoken in the 'r' sound too clearly, it sounds wrong and awkward.
That's all for this week's Beijing huà class. You're one more step to becoming someone's 老铁！没毛病！(Lǎo tiě! Méi máobìng!)
READ: Don't Get Chinese Internet Slang? Now There's a Book For That
Photos: itfly.pc-fly.com, m.weibo.cn
Do you have what it takes to be a True Runner?
Scan/Extract the QR code above to check out our current job openings.
Want to know what awesome events are happening in town? Scan/Extract the QR code above to get the list of our Editors' Picks.
Got something to sell? Looking for a job? Or probably your soulmate? Then scan/extract the QR code above to visit our Classified Ads.
Always something fresh
Scan/Extract the QR code above to follow us!
Tap on the cover to access the latest print issue.