Now that we’ve covered some basic tongue twisters, it’s time to ramp up the level of difficulty. Try saying these tongue twisters five times fast. See if you can get as good as Jackie Chan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CxLePKlvXk

青青山上一根籐

青籐地下掛銅鈴

風吹籐動銅鈴動

風停籐停銅鈴停

qīng qīng shān shàng yī gēn téng
qīng téng dǐ xià guà tóng líng
fēng chuī téng dòng tóng líng dòng
fēng tíng téng tíng tóng líng tíng

Translation: On a green mountain grows a vine. Under the vine there hangs a copper bell. When the wind blows, the vine moves, and so does the bell. When the wind stops, the vine stops, and the bell stops too.

老頭兒端湯上塔
湯燙
塔滑
湯灑
湯燙塔

lǎotóur duān tāng shàng tǎ
tāng tàng
tǎ huá
tāng sǎ
tāng tàng tǎ.

Translation: An old man, holding (a bowl of) soup, climbed up a tower. The soup was hot. The tower (steps) slippery; (so) the soup got spilt (and) the soup scalded the tower (steps).

黑蝴蝶飛，
灰蝴蝶飛，
黑蝴蝶飛完，
會蝴蝶飛。

hēi húdǐe fēi,
hūi húdǐe fēi,
hēi húdǐe fēiwán,
hūi húdǐe fēi.

Translation: The black butterfly flies, the gray butterfly flies, after the black butterfly flies, the gray butterfly flies.

村前有个颜圆眼
村后有个颜眼圆
不知颜圆眼的眼圆
还是颜眼圆的眼圆？

cūn qián yǒu gè yán yuán yǎn
cūn hòu yǒu g4 yán yǎn yuán
bù zhī yán yuán yǎn dē yǎn yuán
hái shì yán yǎn yuán dē yǎn yuán?

Translation: In front of the village there is a Yan Yuanyan. Behind the village there is a Yan Yanyuan. Don’t know if Yan Yuanyan’s eyes are rounder or Yan Yanyuan’s eyes are rounder.

红凤凰

黄凤凰

粉红凤凰

粉凤凰飞

Hóng fènghuáng
huáng fènghuáng
fěnhóng fènghuáng
fěn fènghuáng fēi

Translation: Red phoenix, yellow phoenix, pink phoenix, pink phoenix fly.

How’d you do?