The nine words required in describing tones, viz. even, rising, falling, circumflex, upper, lower, quick, slow, short, constitute a tone-alphabet, and may as such be represented for brevity by their initial letters. Thus for expressing differences in inflexion, there are four symbols, E, R, F, C, in key two, U, L, in time two, Q, S, and one more for short quantity, SH.
A correct nomenclature for the natural tones must evidently be one descriptive of their natural character; while that of the tone-classes should be numerical. The Chinese by using a nomenclature of the former kind for the classes, without distinguishing them from the intonations with which they were enunciated, have introduced a confusion into he subject, which can only be removed by the adoption of a more correct system. Using the initial letters according to the method here proposed, as symbols of the 24 natural tones, they stand thus:—
List of Natural Tones.
| l. q. e. | lower quick even tone | |
| l. q. f. | lower quick falling tone. | |
| l. q. f. c. | lower quick falling circumflex. | |
| l. q. r. | lower quick rising tone. | |
| l. q. r. c. | lower quick rising circumflex. | |
| l. s. e. | lower slow even tone. | |
| l. s. f. | lower slow falling tone. | |
| l. s. f. c. | lower slow falling circumflex. | |
| l. s. r. | lower slow rising tone. | |
| l. s. r. c. | lower slow rising circumflex. | |
| l. sh. f. | lower short falling tone. | |
| l. sh. r. | lower short rising tone. | |
| u. q. e. | upper quick even tone. | |
| u. q. f. | upper quick falling tone. | |
| u. q. f. c. | upper quick falling circumflex. | |
| u. q. r. | upper quick rising tone. | |
| u. q. r. c. | upper quick rising circumflex. | |
| u. s. e. | upper slow even tone. | |
| u. s. f. | upper slow falling tone. | |
| u. s. f. c. | upper slow falling circumflex. | |
| u. s. r. | upper slow rising tone. | |
| u. s. r. c. | upper slow rising circumflex. |
