A Chinese syllable splits into 声母 (initial consonant) + 韵母 (final — vowel cluster + optional nasal ending) + tone. Example: 'bāng' = b (声母) + āng (韵母). Some syllables have no initial, like 安 (ān).
memory
声 (sound) + 母 (mother) — the 'mother sound' that starts the syllable. Pairs with 韵母 ('rhyme mother,' the final).
