普通话有四个声调,轻声是语言活动中的变调现象,是四声之外一种特殊的声调。说它“特殊”是因为这种变调总是根据前一个音节声调的调值决定后一个轻声音节的调值,而不论后一个音节原调调值的具体形式。简单地说,轻声就是音节在词或句子里失去原有的声调而读成又轻又短的调子。轻声音节本来有一定的声调,只是在特定的场合中,由于音节弱化致使失去原调,甚至声母或韵母也随之发生变化,普通话的四个声调都有可能变成轻声。因此,不能把轻声看作与阴平、阳平、上声、去声并列的第五个声调,轻声只是一种音变现象。 Mandarin has four tones, softly tone is the phenomenon of tone change in language activities, is a special tone other than four. It is said to be “special” because it always determines the tone of a light syllable, based on the tone of the previous syllable, regardless of the exact form of the original syllable for the latter syllable. To put it plainly, softly is the tone in which the syllable loses its original tone in words or sentences and is read as a light and short tone. Softly syllable would have a certain tone, but in particular occasions, due to weakening syllables caused the loss of the original tune, or even the initials or vowels also will change, all four tones of Mandarin may become softly. Therefore, we should not regard softly as the fifth tone parallel with yinping, yangping, Shangyin, and tone, and the soft tone is only a phonetic variation.