Word Guide
How to pronounce 聪明 (cōng míng)
聪明 means "clever/smart". Use this guide to lock in the tone pattern, articulation target, and the mistake most learners still make.
Pinyin
cōng míng
Tone Pattern
Tone 1 + Tone 2
Pronunciation Focus
flat-sharps
How to say it
Keep c forward and aspirated, then preserve the -ng ending in both syllables.
Phonetic Breakdown
c+ong_m+ing
Most common error
Learners either lose the aspiration on c or weaken the back nasal ending.
HSK Level
HSK2
Related pronunciation rules
z, c, s vs zh, ch, sh: how to hear and pronounce the difference
Learn the contrast between flat alveolar sounds and retroflex sounds so Chinese words stop collapsing into one pattern.
n vs ng: how to fix Mandarin nasal finals
A guide to front nasal -n and back nasal -ng endings, with words that train the difference clearly.
Practice similar examples
Hear the same pattern in sentences
请安静。 (qǐng ān jìng)
Move from a back nasal in qǐng to a front nasal in ān, then back again in jìng.
他吃了。 (tā chī le.)
Keep the retroflex initials in 他吃了。 (tā chī le.) slightly curled back instead of letting them flatten forward.
他出去。 (tā chū qù.)
Keep the retroflex initials in 他出去。 (tā chū qù.) slightly curled back instead of letting them flatten forward.