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)
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
Why Is It Hard?
Mandarin Chinese has four tones, and the numbers four (sì, tone 4) and ten (shí, tone 2) differ only in tone and in the s vs sh consonant. At speed, the brain stops tracking both distinctions and the numbers collapse into each other. Adding fourteen (shísì) and forty (sìshí) compounds the problem since they use the same two syllables in reverse order – a phonetic palindrome that is nearly impossible to keep straight.
History
Si shi si shi shi shi is the most widely taught Chinese tongue twister in Mandarin language classes worldwide. It appears in every major Chinese textbook as the standard exercise for distinguishing the s and sh sounds and for practising the second and fourth tones. Chinese children learn it in the first year of formal schooling as part of Putonghua (standard Mandarin) pronunciation training. Foreign learners of Mandarin often cite it as the single biggest pronunciation hurdle.
Tips for Saying It
- Master the tones separately: sì (four) falls sharply, shí (ten) rises.
- The s in sì is like English s. The sh in shí has the tongue pulled slightly back – retroflex.
- Practise the four numbers in order: sì / shí / shísì / sìshí before combining into sentences.
- Slow down on shísì and sìshí – the reversal is the hardest part.
More Chinese Tongue Twisters
- Chinese Tongue Twisters – full collection
- Hard Tongue Twisters – hardest in any language
- Japanese Tongue Twisters – more East Asian twisters
Find hundreds more on alltonguetwisters.com.