Page:China and the Manchus.djvu/14
This page has been validated.
NOTE
It is impossible to give here a complete key to the pronunciation of Chinese words. For those who wish to pronounce with approximate correctness the proper names in this volume, the following may be a rough guide:—
| a | as | in alms. |
| ê | " | u in fun. |
| i | " | ie in thief. |
| o | " | aw in saw. |
| u | " | oo in soon. |
| ü | " | u in French, or ü in German. |
| ŭ | " | e in her. |
| ai | " | aye (yes). |
| ao | " | ow in cow. |
| ei | " | ey in prey. |
| ow | " | o (not as ow in cow). |
| ch | " | ch in church. |
| chih | " | chu in church. |
| hs | " | sh (hsiu = sheeoo). |
| j | " | in French. |
| ua and uo | " | wa and wo. |
The insertion of a rough breathing ʽ calls for a strong aspirate.
viii