A Chinese syllable splits into 声母 (initial consonant) + 韵母 (final, vowel cluster plus optional nasal ending) + tone. Example: 'bāng' = b (initial) + āng (final). 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).
