Pinyin initial: "bi"

Mouth Mechanics (step-by-step)

1. Relax your throat and jaw. This sound should feel clean and simple—no “breathy” push.
2. Close your lips fully (like starting to say English b).
3. Build a tiny bit of pressure behind the lips (just from being closed, not from pushing air).
4. Open the lips quickly to release the sound.
5. Important: As you release, do not blast air. The release is light—more like the middle sound in “spy” than the start sound in “pie.”
6. Immediately move into the next part of the syllable:
   • bi-: go straight into an “ee” quality, but keep it Chinese-clean (not “bee-yuh”).
   • bi + i/ü-like glide cases written with i: in bie/biao/bian, you’ll feel a quick y-like glide right after the initial, then the main vowel.

English Approximation (2–3 anchors)

Because English word-initial b is typically voiced, and English p is often strongly puffed, the best English matches are “b/p” that occur after “s” (where English naturally removes the puff of air).

1. “spy” — focus on the “p” sound in sPY (that “p” is unaspirated, very close to Chinese b).
2. “spin” — focus on the “p” sound in sPIN (again, little to no air puff).
3. “spot” — focus on the “p” sound in sPOT (light release, not breathy).

How to use these: Say “spy / spin / spot,” then try saying the same p sound without the s—that’s the feel you want for b- in Mandarin.

Common Mistakes (what English speakers do wrong)

• Adding a puff of air (making it sound like Mandarin p- instead of b-). If a tissue held in front of your mouth jumps, you’re probably using p-.
• Over-voicing it like a strong English “b.” Mandarin b- is typically lighter and cleaner than many English initial b sounds.
• In “bie/bian/biao,” inserting an extra vowel (e.g., saying “bee-eh” or “bee-yao” too slowly). The glide is quick: b + y + main vowel, smoothly.

Practice Pairs (visualizing the sound)

These English words are approximations to cue the initial feeling (especially the “un-puffed” quality). The goal is the starting consonant, not a perfect match of the whole syllable.

Tip: You can literally practice as: “spy… (drop the s) … bi”, keeping the same unpuffed lip release.

Comparisons & Caveats (similar Pinyin sounds to watch)

b- vs p- (the big one)

• Mandarin b- is the unaspirated lip sound: little to no air puff.
• Mandarin p- is the aspirated version: it has a clear burst of air (like a strong English p at the start of “pie”).
• Quick self-check: hold a tissue 2–3 inches in front of your mouth.
  • Tissue barely moves: likely b- (good).
  • Tissue jumps: you’re drifting toward p-.

b- is not English “bee-”

In syllables like bi, English speakers often say “bee” with a strong voiced b and sometimes a slight off-glide (“bee-y”). Mandarin bi is cleaner and tighter—release the lips lightly and go straight into the vowel without extra “yuh.”

What “i” is doing after b-

• bi / bin / bing behave like b + i (a high front vowel quality).
• bie / bian / biao behave like b + y-glide + main vowel (you feel a quick “y” connection right after the lips open).
  • Keep that y brief—don’t turn it into a whole extra syllable.

b- vs d- / g-

All three (b-, d-, g-) share the same “no puff of air” idea, but the contact point changes: - b-: lips - d-: tongue tip near the gum ridge behind the top teeth - g-: back of the tongue against the soft back roof area

If you accidentally use tongue contact, you may drift toward d-; if you pull the tongue back, you may drift toward g-. For b-, it must be purely lips.