2nd syllable tone in some words eg. xǐhuan/xǐhuān
Hi,

I'd like to know why sometimes some words are written in pinyin with the tone on the 2nd syllable, and sometimes they are not. Is the tone on these characters pronounced or is it neutral tone?

The dictionary I have lists "to like" as "xǐhuan", but then in all the example sentences they've used "xǐhuān".

I understand tones are very important in Chinese so I'm trying to get them right in my head when reading and speaking, so would appreciate knowing how to pronounce the tone for these words where it seems to be optional. Is there any reason the second character can sometimes be neutral tone, eg. position in sentence? Or is it just because it's lost its tone over time in some words?

Some other examples:
zǎoshang/zǎoshàng (早上)
shíhou/shíhòu (时候)
duōshao/duōshǎo (多少)

Thanks

Question

2nd syllable tone in some words eg. xǐhuan/xǐhuān
Hi,

I'd like to know why sometimes some words are written in pinyin with the tone on the 2nd syllable, and sometimes they are not. Is the tone on these characters pronounced or is it neutral tone?

The dictionary I have lists "to like" as "xǐhuan", but then in all the example sentences they've used "xǐhuān".

I understand tones are very important in Chinese so I'm trying to get them right in my head when reading and speaking, so would appreciate knowing how to pronounce the tone for these words where it seems to be optional. Is there any reason the second character can sometimes be neutral tone, eg. position in sentence? Or is it just because it's lost its tone over time in some words?

Some other examples:
zǎoshang/zǎoshàng (早上)
shíhou/shíhòu (时候)
duōshao/duōshǎo (多少)

Thanks

Answer

The context can help you to opt the best one.In china,people always pronounce different tone in different situations! so,firstly you should try your best to understand the context,and then simulate it.

Answer

you know what？
 maybe only chinese can distinguish，even we cant sometimes. it
is tough

Answer

Generally, you should read the word in 2nd syllable, especially when the word appears in the sentence. Just in the time when the word appears alone and in an informal situation, you can read the word in 1st syllable. For example:
你喜欢（xǐhuān）我吗？--------in the middle of a sentence, use the 2nd syllable 
喜欢（xǐhuan）-------sigle word used here, but that's all for the answer, and it's a joke,so the 1st syllable is ok ; if your answer is "是的，我喜欢你",you should say in the 2nd syllable; or you just answer"喜欢",but you mean it seriously, you should use the 1st syllable.

Answer

just read
zǎoshàng (早上)
shíhòu (时候)
duōshǎo (多少)
is ok, words with no tones just tell you read it lightly or Vaguely. it  mostly appears on the last syllable of a words or a sentance espacially modal particle.
1．modal particle “吧、吗、呢、啊”等。example：吃吧、走吗、去呢、跑啊。 
2．structural particle “的、地、得”。example：我的书、慢慢地走、跑得很快。 
3．aspectual particle “了、着、过”。example：走了、看着、去过。 
4．Noun suffix“们、子、头”。example：你们、房子、石头。 
5．Behind a noun express the location of something “上、下、里”。example：桌上、地下、院里。 
an so on

Answer

Follow the dictionary. Many second syllable tones get lost in standard talk. There is no need to learn rules, either. It gets quite obvious with time.