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)
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, don’t spit out grape skins; don’t eat grapes but do spit out grape skins
Why Is It Hard?
The word putao (grapes) appears four times. The verbs chi (eat) and tu (spit out) sound similar and must be distinguished by tone. The second line reverses the logic of the first – not eating but still spitting – which confuses the brain just as the tongue is getting into the rhythm. The bu (not) particle appears three times and keeps switching the meaning.
History
Chi putao bu tu putao pi is one of China’s most widely known children’s tongue twisters and has been a classroom staple for generations. The image of eating grapes and dealing with the skins is relatable and vivid. The twister is notable for its logical structure – each half states the opposite action – which makes it both a phonetic and a cognitive challenge.
Tips for Saying It
- Understand the logic: first half eat-not-spit, second half not-eat-do-spit.
- Putao (grape) is the anchor word – practise it alone until it feels automatic.
- The chi/tu distinction: chi (eat) has rising tone, tu (spit) has falling-rising tone.
- Say the two halves separately then combine.
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- Chinese Tongue Twisters – full collection
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Why Chi Putao Bu Tu Putao Pi Is So Hard
Chi putao bu tu putao pi, bu chi putao dao tu putao pi (eat grapes without spitting out grape skin, don’t eat grapes but do spit out grape skin) is a Chinese tongue twister built on the word “putao” (grapes) and “tu” (to spit out). The sentence contrasts two impossible situations – eating grapes without spitting skin, and spitting skin without eating grapes – while repeating “putao” and “tu” in different grammatical roles.
The challenge is “putao” appearing four times and “tu” appearing twice, while the negative particle “bu” (not) also appears twice and sounds similar to the verb “tu” at speed. At full pace, the difference between “bu” (not) and “tu” (spit) collapses, and the meaning reverses accidentally.
Tonal Analysis
In Mandarin: chi (chi2, rising – to eat), putao (pu2-tao2, rising-rising – grapes), bu (bu4, falling – not), tu (tu3, dipping – to spit), pi (pi2, rising – skin). The “bu” and “tu” distinction is tonal: bu4 is a falling tone while tu3 is a dipping tone. At slow speed these sound very different. At speed, the tonal contrast reduces and “bu tu” can sound like “butu” – one syllable.
Practice Tips
- Understand the contrast: “chi putao bu tu putao pi” (eating grapes, not spitting skin) vs “bu chi putao dao tu putao pi” (not eating grapes but spitting skin anyway)
- Focus on “bu” vs “tu”: bu4 = falling / tu3 = dipping low then rising slightly
- “Putao” rhythm: pu-TAO (stress on second syllable in casual speech)
- Say both lines separately until perfect, then combine
Difficulty Rating
Difficulty: 4/5. The bu/tu confusion combined with “putao” repetition makes this one of the most commonly failed Chinese tongue twisters. Great for practicing the tonal distinction between bu4 and tu3. Appears in Chinese language courses worldwide as a classic raokouling (tongue twister).
More tongue twisters to practice: Chinese Tongue Twisters | All Tongue Twisters | Hard Tongue Twisters | Tongue Twisters for Kids