We know that in the Chinese pinyin system, there are not only the four tones, but there’s also a special tone we call the neutral tone, also called “toneless.”  Actually, the neutral tone is not a fifth tone;  it’s just a kind of change from the fourth tone. It is a soft and short one, which is used a lot in spoken Chinese.  Now, let’s talk about it.

&nbsp;
We know that in the Chinese pinyin system, there are not only the four tones, but there&rsquo;s also a special tone we call the neutral tone, also called &ldquo;toneless.&rdquo; Actually, the neutral tone is not a fifth tone; it&rsquo;s just a kind of change from the fourth tone. It is a soft and short one, which is used a lot in spoken Chinese. Now, let&rsquo;s talk about it.
&nbsp;
The neutral tone is divided into two groups: the regular neutral tone and the irregular neutral tone.
&nbsp;
<h2 style="color: #ff0000;">The Regular Neutral Tone</h2>
For the regular one, words or phrases should be read as a neutral tone.
&nbsp;
1. Some affixation words, for example: 子, 头, 么, 儿, 巴, 里 are read as zi, tou, me, er, ba, li. Those words are non-referential, meaning an abstract indication, so they are always read with a neutral tone. For example: 裙子 (q&uacute;n zi) skirt, 枕头 (zhěn tou) pillow, 什么 (sh&eacute;n me) what, 花儿 (huā er) flower, 结巴 (jiē ba) stammer, 稀里糊涂 (xī li h&uacute; t&uacute;) muddleheaded.
&nbsp;
2. Some auxiliary words, for example: 得, 的, 了, 地, 着, 过 are read as de, de, le, di, zhe, guo. Examples as are follows: 好得很 (hǎo de hěn) very good, 我的 (wǒ de) my, 行了(x&iacute;ng le) it worked, 小心地 (xiǎo xīn di) carefully, 看着 (k&agrave;n zhe) watching, 说过 (shuō guo) said. There&rsquo;s another word 们 to be read as men, which makes the word plural. It can be used following nouns and pronouns. For example, 我们 (wǒ men) we and 动物们 (d&ograve;ng w&ugrave; men) the animals.
&nbsp;
3. Some modal words 吧, 呢, 吗, 啊 are read as ba, ne, ma, a. For example: 好吧(hǎo ba) alright, 你呢 (nǐ ne) how about you, 好吗 (hǎo ma) shall we, 我走了啊 (wǒ zǒu le a) I'm going now.
&nbsp;
4. Some words or phrases that are used before a verb or adjective show a trend. For example: 来 and 去 as in 爬上来 and 跑出去 which means (p&aacute; sh&agrave;ng lai) climb up and（pǎo chū qu) run out. And, some verbs show the result. For example: 打开(dǎ kai) open, 关上（guān shang）close, 看见（k&agrave;n jian）see.
&nbsp;
5. Some words or phrases used before a noun or pronoun to show a direction, such as 上, 下, 里, 外, 边, 面. They are read as shang, xia, li, wai, bian, mian. For example: 黑板上 (hēi bǎnshang) on the blackboard, 地下(d&igrave; xia) underground, 宿舍里 (s&ugrave; sh&egrave; li) in the dormitory, 窗外(chuāng wai ) out of the window, 那边 (n&agrave; bian) there, 前面 (qi&aacute;n mian) ahead.
&nbsp;
6. Some reduplicated nouns and verbs, such as 星星 (xīng xing) star, 爸爸（b&agrave; ba）father, 计划计划 (j&igrave; hua j&igrave; hua) make a plan, 学习学习（xu&eacute; xi xu&eacute; xi) study. Please take note of the 一 and 不 between duplicated words, for example: 看一看 (k&agrave;n yi k&agrave;n) have a look, 好不好 (hǎo bu hǎo) good or not.
&nbsp;
7. Some measure words such as 个. For example: 这个 (zh&egrave; ge) this, 哪个 (nǎ ge）which.
<h2 style="color: #ff0000;"> The Irregular Neutral Tone</h2>
明白(m&iacute;ng bai) understand, 姑娘 (gū niang) girl, 耳朵 (ěr duo) ear; 暖和 (nuǎn huo) warm; 漂（pi&agrave;o liang) beautiful, 功夫（gōng fu）kung fu, 便宜（pi&aacute;n yi）cheap, 裁缝（c&aacute;i feng）tailor, 喜欢 (xǐ huan) like, etc.&nbsp; For these, you will just have to memorize the use of the neutral tone.
&nbsp;
I hope these examples are helpful, but of course the real way to study to the neutral toneis to just start listening for the patterns I described above, getting used to them, and then using them yourself!
&nbsp;
Edited by Ilene Springer