In Mandarin Chinese, the neutral tone (轻声, qīngshēng) refers to syllables pronounced with a short, light, and toneless quality. While many neutral-tone words are idiomatic and must be memorized, there are regular patterns that govern their usage. Below are common categories of words that typically follow neutral-tone rules:

1. Grammatical Particles

Particles used for grammatical functions often take the neutral tone:

• Modal particles: 吗 (ma), 呢 (ne), 吧 (ba), 啊 (a).
  Example: 你好吗？(Nǐ hǎo ma?)

• Structural particles: 的 (de), 地 (de), 得 (de).
  Example: 我的书 (wǒ de shū)

• Aspect markers: 了 (le), 着 (zhe), 过 (guo).
  Example: 吃了 (chī le)

2. Reduplicated Words

In reduplicated nouns or verbs, the second syllable is often neutral:

• Kinship terms: 妈妈 (māma), 爸爸 (bàba), 哥哥 (gēge).

• Verbs: 看看 (kànkan), 试试 (shìshi).

3. Directional/Locational Suffixes

Suffixes indicating direction or location often lose their tone:

• 方位词: 里 (li), 上 (shang), 下 (xia).
  Example: 桌子上 (zhuōzi shang)

4. Compound Words with Fixed Neutral Tones

Certain disyllabic words habitually neutralize the second syllable:

• Common nouns: 东西 (dōngxi), 窗户 (chuānghu), 萝卜 (luóbo).

• Verbs with suffixes: 糊弄 (húnong), 收拾 (shōushi).

5. Affixation Patterns

Specific affixes consistently trigger neutral tones:

• Suffix 子 (zi): 桌子 (zhuōzi), 椅子 (yǐzi).

• Suffix 头 (tou): 石头 (shítou), 木头 (mùtou).

• Plural suffix 们 (men): 我们 (wǒmen), 孩子们 (háizi men).

6. Resultative/Directional Complements

Complements in verb phrases may neutralize:

• 趋向补语: 起来 (qǐlai), 下去 (xiàqu).
  Example: 站起来 (zhàn qǐlai)

Exceptions and Variability

While these patterns provide guidance, exceptions exist. For example:

• Some dialectal or colloquial speech may ignore neutral tones.

• Certain words alternate between tonal and neutral tones depending on context (e.g., 东西 dōngxī vs. dōngxi).