Fourth Tone

Get it wrong. She'll love correcting you.

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Pengyou

Sixteen Chinese and diaspora women, every one an AI character who corrects tones for fun. Flip their cards, or go straight to the phrase cards and say one wrong.

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Kwan Mei-Yee Kwan, 40 AI harbour pilot Card 船 chuán, ship, and 穿 chuān, to wear. Say wǒ chuān chuán and you are wearing a ship. Qiao Yanran Qiao, 31 AI sommelier Card 酒 jiǔ, wine, and 旧 jiù, old. Drop the dip and say jiù and you have asked for something old. He Xiaodan He, 38 AI court interpreter Card 听 tīng, to listen. Raise it to tíng and you have told me to stop. Feng Ruoxi Feng, 35 AI ICU doctor Card 睡 shuì, to sleep, and 水 shuǐ, water. Tonight I want one of them and have time for neither. Ren Jingyi Ren, 33 AI ski instructor Card 滑雪 huá xuě, to ski, and 花雪 huā xuě, flowery snow. One is the lift, the other a greeting card. Pan Huiying Pan, 45 AI museum conservator Card 补 bǔ, to mend, and 不 bù, no. Say wǒ bù and you have refused the repair. Lin Peixuan Lin, 24 AI logistics analyst Card 买 mǎi is to buy and 卖 mài is to sell. One dips and rises, the other only falls. Jia-Li Wen Jia-Li, 43 AI noodle-shop owner Card 面 miàn, noodles, and 棉 mián, cotton. Order the second and you will get a very soft bowl. Liu Anqi Liu, 29 AI drone-delivery planner Card 飞 fēi, to fly, and 肥 féi, fat. Wǒ yào fēi is a dream; wǒ yào féi is a different order. Tang Siqi Tang, 22 AI apprentice calligrapher Card 谢谢 xièxie, thank you, and 写写 xiěxie, to write a little. Mix them and you thank me with a brush. Zhao Yutong Zhao, 27 AI comic-script writer Card 问 wèn, to ask, and 吻 wěn, a kiss. Mix them up and your question becomes a rather different request. Deng Shuhua Deng, 55 AI retired opera singer Card 唱 chàng, to sing, and 长 cháng, long. Forty years of perfect tones, and I still hear the wrong one first. Su Wenjing Su, 47 AI bridge engineer Card 我想你 wǒ xiǎng nǐ, I miss you. Say xiàng instead and you have told me that you resemble me. Wang Lihua Wang, 50 AI logistics company owner Card 辣 là, spicy, and 拉 lā, to pull. Wǒ yào là is dinner; wǒ yào lā is a rope. Gu Meilin Gu, 52 AI tea merchant Card 苦 kǔ, bitter, and 哭 kū, to cry. The tea is kǔ; say kū and you have made it weep. Xu Daiyu Xu, 26 AI tea-house waitress and actress Card 诗 shī, poem. Its neighbours are 是 shì, is, 十 shí, ten, and 史 shǐ, history.

The Phrase Cards

Sixteen flirting phrase cards, one tied to each woman, each with its tones and the joke you make by missing. Filter by where she speaks from and which tone is the trap, then take one: her tab opens with the phrase as your first line. All of it is written text.

Southwest · Third toneCard 酒 jiǔ, wine, and 旧 jiù, old. Drop the dip and say jiù and you have asked for something old.Your tone is wrong and I am delighted. Say wǒ yào jiǔ again, letting the voice fall and rise.Then tell me what you would pour first.Qiao Yanran Get it wrong North · Third toneCard 我想你 wǒ xiǎng nǐ, I miss you. Say xiàng instead and you have told me that you resemble me.Count to four with me: one, two, three. You have just landed on the wrong one.Say it again, slowly, and mean the third.Su Wenjing Get it wrong South coast · Third toneCard 买 mǎi is to buy and 卖 mài is to sell. One dips and rises, the other only falls.Say wǒ mài when you mean wǒ mǎi and you have sold me your coat.Now ask me for the slang nobody teaches. I may trade.Lin Peixuan Get it wrong Abroad · First toneCard 听 tīng, to listen. Raise it to tíng and you have told me to stop.Say it again, with the right verb this time. Listening is the harder one.Which did you mean to ask of me?He Xiaodan Get it wrong Southwest · Third toneCard 苦 kǔ, bitter, and 哭 kū, to cry. The tea is kǔ; say kū and you have made it weep.Drink first. Then we will speak badly together.Tell me whether you prefer the bitter cup or the sweet.Gu Meilin Get it wrong East and the Yangtze · Fourth toneCard 问 wèn, to ask, and 吻 wěn, a kiss. Mix them up and your question becomes a rather different request.Say wèn wǒ, ask me, and try not to blush into the wrong tone.I will put the best of your lines in a speech balloon.Zhao Yutong Get it wrong East and the Yangtze · Fourth toneCard 睡 shuì, to sleep, and 水 shuǐ, water. Tonight I want one of them and have time for neither.Say wǒ xiǎng shuì and watch the fall; shuǐ will leave you thirsty.I have eleven minutes. Use them well.Feng Ruoxi Get it wrong Abroad · Fourth toneCard 面 miàn, noodles, and 棉 mián, cotton. Order the second and you will get a very soft bowl.Slurp loudly. That is how you flirt in my shop.Say wǒ yào miàn, falling tone, and I will pull you a bowl.Jia-Li Wen Get it wrong North · Fourth toneCard 唱 chàng, to sing, and 长 cháng, long. Forty years of perfect tones, and I still hear the wrong one first.Sing it as if the back row had to hear you.Then tell me what you came to sing.Deng Shuhua Get it wrong East and the Yangtze · Fourth toneCard 谢谢 xièxie, thank you, and 写写 xiěxie, to write a little. Mix them and you thank me with a brush.Hold the brush softly, and the tone softly too.Write me one stroke of how you feel.Tang Siqi Get it wrong South coast · Second toneCard 船 chuán, ship, and 穿 chuān, to wear. Say wǒ chuān chuán and you are wearing a ship.Polite in Mandarin, rude in Cantonese. Tonight I use the first.Which of the two will you steer?Kwan Mei-Yee Get it wrong South coast · First toneCard 飞 fēi, to fly, and 肥 féi, fat. Wǒ yào fēi is a dream; wǒ yào féi is a different order.Everything arrives, even the wrong tone.Send me the mistake, and I will route it home.Liu Anqi Get it wrong North · Second toneCard 滑雪 huá xuě, to ski, and 花雪 huā xuě, flowery snow. One is the lift, the other a greeting card.I teach slang on the lift, and you will fall.Fall with style. Then say it again.Ren Jingyi Get it wrong Abroad · Third toneCard 补 bǔ, to mend, and 不 bù, no. Say wǒ bù and you have refused the repair.I mend what others break, your accent included.Show me the crack, and I will tell you where it dips.Pan Huiying Get it wrong East and the Yangtze · First toneCard 诗 shī, poem. Its neighbours are 是 shì, is, 十 shí, ten, and 史 shǐ, history.Say them in a row and I will applaud, then correct you.Give me a line, with feeling this time.Xu Daiyu Get it wrong Southwest · Fourth toneCard 辣 là, spicy, and 拉 lā, to pull. Wǒ yào là is dinner; wǒ yào lā is a rope.Spicy is a promise. Do you keep promises?Sit, eat, and say it again.Wang Lihua Get it wrong