Mandarin Pinyin consists of 声母, 韵母, and 声调. A syllable is usually 声母 + 韦? Wait no. It should be 声母 + 韵母 + 声调. When there is no 声母, a zero 声母 may be used; the actual pronunciation starts from the 韵母. Pinyin, as an alphabet, is not equivalent to Chinese characters; it only indicates pronunciation.

Initials are the consonants that begin a syllable, located at the front in Pinyin. Mandarin has 21 commonly used initials, including plosives, fricatives, nasals, and laterals. The initial determines the start of the syllable, but must combine with the final to form a complete syllable.

Common initials can be classified by manner of articulation. Plosives have b p d t g k; aspirated and unaspirated occur in pairs. Fricatives and affricates have z c s zh ch sh; place and tongue shape differ. Nasals have m n ng; the lateral is l.

b p m f d t n l g k h are among Mandarin's high-frequency initials. b, d, g are unaspirated; p, t, k are aspirated. Clear contrast helps distinguish meanings. m and n are easy to distinguish from zero initials and ng; pay attention to mouth shape and the nasal passage.

Finals are the main vowel portion of a syllable, typically carrying the syllable's pitch variation. Mandarin has three types: simple finals, compound finals, and nasal finals. Finals can form a syllable on their own or combine with initials.

Monophthongs are a, o, e, i, u, and ü. Mouth shapes are stable and quality is clear. The mouth opening is greatest for a, next for o; the e mouth shape is flat; i has a spread lip; u lips are rounded; ü has a high tongue position and tight lips. Monophthongs form the basis of reading and should be practiced repeatedly.

Compound finals are finals where mouth shape and tongue position glide within a single syllable. Mandarin common compound finals include ai, ei, ui, ao, ou, iu; when reading, transition smoothly and do not split into two separate sounds.

Nasal finals end with a nasal sound, coming in two types: n and ng. Ending with n keeps the oral opening relatively large; ending with ng, the tongue root raises and the nasal is more prominent. Distinguishing n and ng is important for meaning.

Zero initial refers to Pinyin spellings with no initials; actual pronunciation starts directly from the final. Common for syllables that begin with a, o, e, i, u, or ü. When reading, avoid adding external consonants. In writing, it is still marked as final + tone, and the pronunciation remains pure.

Pinyin spelling is formed by assembling letters in alphabetical order, and the tone is marked within a syllable. When ü occurs with j, q, x, or y, it is usually written as u, but the pronunciation remains ü. When i and u appear together, there is a fixed simplified spelling as iu or ui, following standardized spellings.

When reading initials and finals, first determine the initial lip shape, then smoothly transition to the final. In reading, maintain the quality of the finals and avoid over-lengthening or breaking. Multisyllabic words are read syllable by syllable in sequence, with each syllable fully.