# Pronunciation: 常识



## yuechu

大家好！

I was recently watching a Chinese drama where a woman pronounces the word 常识 as chángshì instead of chángshí (=the dictionary pronunciation). Is this a 南北方 difference?
Thanks!


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## ronosh

The right pronunciation is chángshí.
But I don't think she pronounces it as chángshì though, it's more likely to be chángshi (the neutral tone or light tone) and it sounds like chángshì.
In oral language, we often say chángshi instead of chángshí, because it's easier to pronounce.


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## yuechu

Hi, Ronosh!
Thanks for your reply! You're right that it could have been the 轻声! I wasn't thinking of that.
谢谢！


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## SuperXW

I don't think I'd ever heard of chángshì or chángshi.
If you can provide the source of the drama, we can try to listen to it.


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## 切克闹

你好。
其实那个医生说的是chángshí。可能她的语速较快，所以发音不太清晰。


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## AquisM

It seems like your question has been answered. I just wanted to add that 识 (識) is pronounced shì in Taiwan.

Not that it's the case here, but it's good to keep in mind of words that are pronounced differently in mainland China and Taiwan, in case you encounter such a scenario next time.


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## yuechu

I was talking about this with a 网友, and they said:

"I checked the video (非议人生, 第二集, 28m50), and the actress (i.e., 潘虹, *上海人*) that plays the role of 廖克难 (妇产科主任) in the drama 《到爱的距离》indeed pronounces the word 常識 as cháng2* shì4* (識: 【集韻】【韻會】式吏切，音試; 【洪武正韻牋】 式至切，音試, 去聲), which is the pronunciation prescribed by《國語辭典》and the only pronunciation for 常識 that you would hear in Taiwan."

-

Perhaps this pronunciation is common in 南方 in general?
Thank you all for your help! 


EDIT: @SuperXW 
Oh, sorry. The Youtube name is different than the original drama and it looks like I guessed the original name wrong. (I was looking at the dramas that one of the main actors acted in and thought it was that medical drama. It looks like it was actually 到爱的距离 instead!)


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## SimonTsai

I am sure that I have literally always pronounced it with the fourth rather than the second or neutral.

sine x 是 e 的 ix 次方的虛部，我以為這是常 (2) 識 (4)。


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## SuperXW

It seems Taiwanese pronounce the fourth tone and might derive from old Mandarin as the 网友 mentioned.
In Mainland China, what he mentioned were obsolete for too long that the only common and standard pronunciation in modern society is shi2.
I also feel the actress meant to say shi2, but as she spoke emotionally, it turned out to be inaccurate, becoming shi0 - shi4.
The reason was not that she always pronounce shi4.

The sentence in the drama was 一点常2识2都1没有.
From 2 to 2, she had to lower the pitch from the highest tone, and raise it again, and she failed.
What she had done was just lower the pitch.
This is only my guess.

See the following sentence,
男2人2都1敢作敢当，你真不是男2人2。
Frequently, you'll hear 人0 or 人4. That doesn't mean 人 is 4th tone.


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## j29682896

People in Taiwan always pronounce 常识 as chang2 shi4, whereas, people from mainland China pronounce 常识 as chang2 shi2 or chang2 shi0.


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## Youngfun

Wow I would understand  cháng2* shì4 *as* 尝试*


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## j29682896

Youngfun said:


> Wow I would understand  cháng2* shì4 *as* 尝试*



I think it's kind of an example of homophones. There are many examples like this in English as well, such as meet/meat, see/sea, dough/doe, no/know, two/too, here/ hear, etc.

With a context, it's less likely to misunderstand. However, it may take some time for those who don't normally speak that way to get used to it.


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