4 ms·
No, the "only 400 syllables" refers to the syllables without taking into account tones. But tones are as much a part of Mandarin syllables as coda consonants;
by mcswell 5y ago
No, the "only 400 syllables" refers to the syllables without taking into account tones. But tones are as much a part of Mandarin syllables as coda consonants; taking the tones into account, there are over 1200 distinct syllables.