<h2>What the online community thinks</h2>

<p>From <a href="http://baike.baidu.com/view/4238.htm">Baidu 百科</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>准确读音</strong> xià zài</p>
  
  <p>　　“下载”这个词，规范读音按照<a href="http://baike.baidu.com/view/98457.htm">现代汉语词典</a>、现代汉语规范词典等权威字典的标注应为“xià zài”。随着电脑的普及，这个词使用的频率越来越高，但可惜的是绝大多数人一开口就是从网上“xià zǎi”，就连播音员、主持人也读“xià zǎi”，如央视的晚间新闻在播送“网络侵权BT下载”时就读成“xià zǎi”。可以说电台、电视台的播音员、节目主持人对“xià zǎi”这个错误的读音起了推波助澜的作用。就目前的趋势来看，要推广“下载”的正确读音已非常困难，已经习非成是了。这些现象给人一种感觉，好像电台、电视台的播音员、节目主持人的发音很随意，因为这些错误的读音许多是在同一个播音员或主持人嘴里反复发出的，而这些错误的读音又严重影响了普通话规范语音的推广普及。这是当前语言文字规范化工作中不容忽视的一个问题。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It says: According to the <a href="http://baike.baidu.com/view/98457.htm">Modern Chinese Dictionary</a> and other authoritative sources, the accurate pronunciation should be "xià zài". But due to the proliferation of computers and rise in the usage frequency of this term, the great majority of the people when they speak, pronounce it as “xià zǎi”. This includes radio and tv hosts, and even a newscaster from CCTV. This mispronunciation has a rippling effect that from current trend seems difficult to reverse and has already become a norm. The phenomenon seems to give one the impression that the these professionals are very lax in their pronunciation. However, the mistake, in most occasions, originated from one host or one presenter, repeated over a number of times. These mispronunciations have seriously impeded the popularisation and standardization of Mandarin as the universal dialect, and is a problem that should not be ignored.</p>

<p>The above is further corroborated with answers to the same question <a href="http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/30739489.html">here</a>.</p>

<h2>What a research shows</h2>

<p>There is an interesting research paper on this “下载”的读音和释义 (<code>http://202.194.40.31:8080/ec2006/C234/res/7/res/201010241009%5B29477%5D.pdf</code>).</p>

<p>To summarize:</p>

<p><ol>
<li>The two most authoritative dictionaries give different
interpretations of the same term:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>下载 xià zài</strong>: 从互联网或其他计算机上获取信息并装入到某台计算机或其他电子装置上 (跟 “上传” 相对)。</p>
  
  <p>《现代汉语词典》(第 5 版)</p>
  
  <p><strong>下载  xià zǎi</strong>: 将互联网或其他电子计算机上的信息资料复制到本台计算机上 (跟 “上载” 相对)。</p>
  
  <p>《现代汉语规范词典》</li>
  <li>According to research [see table], most of the dictionaries indicate
  the pronunciation as "xià zài", however this is inconclusive since
  many of the minor dictionaries take reference from the more
  authoritative sources such as《现代汉语词典》and《新华词典》.</li>
  <li>According to a classroom survey of about 500, 68% respondents
  indicated that they pronounce the term as "xià zǎi" while 32%
  pronounce as "xià zài".</li>
  <li>An <a href="http://ccl.pku.edu.cn/poll/result.asp?wj_id=3">online poll</a> was also conducted with a clear majority of 94%
  pronouncing the term as "xià zǎi" out of 225 respondents.</li>
  <li>"记载" and "装载" are the two most closely associated terms with "下载".</li>
  <li>The word "载" is derived from "车" and "装载" precedes "记载" which is
  derived from "containing" in a metaphorical sense.</li>
  </ol>
  The above are some points put forth by the author, I left out part of his argument and conclusion which I find subjective and highly debatable.</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>Justifications</h2>

<p>The use of "xià zǎi" can be justified to be derived from the term "<a href="http://baike.baidu.com/view/749286.htm">记载</a>" (jì zǎi) since "下载" or download refers to receiving a copy of the original file on the local system. The action of copying can be taken to mean recording or "记载" although it is not so obvious to some.</p>

<p>The use of "xià zài" can be justified by the single word "载" (zài) which means transporting. Downloading is a process of transmitting (or transporting) electronic data from the remote system to the local system.</p>

<h2>The verdict</h2>

<p>Inconclusive. Use whichever pronunciation that you feel can get the other party understand you.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-14T15:08:08.410Z
I also saw that page, but I would say that 《现代汉语规范词典》 is also an  authoritative source, if not even more than the others.
BertR
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-14T15:29:25.690Z
Does anyone have a paper version of 《现代汉语词典》? In this online version http://www.51240.com/cidian/ it's xiàzǎi and not xiàzài. I have an older paper version, but it doesn't have the word.
BertR
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-14T15:58:38.553Z
@BertR, no, I don't have that dictionary. I could be wrong since Baidu is the Chinese version of Wikipedia which relies purely on crowd-sourcing. My conjecture is that `载` came from the first meaning of "zài" (to load) in BML's question, so it should logically follow the same pronunciation. The newer dictionaries may have subsequently revised the pronunciation to "xià zǎi" as many people are already pronouncing it this way. However, these are just my personal opinions.
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-14T20:27:47.687Z
@BertR, I noticed that you use 《现代汉语规范词典》 as the ultimate source for many things. May I ask why? My middle school (in Beijing) and college (Peking Univ) both use 《新华字典》 and 《现代汉语词典》 as the authoritative source and  told us all the other sources (including 《现代汉语规范词典》) are unreliable. I don't mean to question you but try to understand if there is a regional or education system-wise difference.
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-15T07:29:26.863Z
@NS.X.: normally I also use 《现代汉语词典》 (in my posts I normally refer to both), but my edition doesn't have the word 下载. Personally I think that the explanations in 《现代汉语规范词典》 are often more clear. Anyway, I'm still wondering which tones 下载 has in a recent edition of 《现代汉语词典》. On Baidu they say that 载 has a fourth tone in  《现代汉语词典》, but in the online version I linked above they have a third tone for 载.
BertR
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-15T08:12:49.083Z
@BertR, I see. For this one no matter which dictionary says what, it's prescriptive and artificial. We all know how it is pronounced in real life:)
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-15T10:26:56.010Z
@BertR, if you look into the revision history of the above Baidu 百科 article, there was a debate on the pronunciation. A change was made by one contributor but reverted quite quickly by another contributor who mentioned that the fifth revision of the hard copy version of《现代汉语词典》does prescribe using "xià zài". In any case, as NS.X. mentioned, it is prescriptive and artificial. I would pronounce it the way that is understood by most.
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-14T14:53:01.900Z
2012-08-19T02:23:48.780Z
2012-08-19T02:23:48.780Z
杨以轩
<p>This is a difficult one.
Just by looking at the meanings of the characters, I would say the 4th tone is slightly better.</p>

<p>I also checked some dictionaries for 下载 as a word and as you already mentioed, they don't agree on this one (and online resources also don't).</p>

<p>Some examples from reference works for xiàzǎi and xiàzài:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>xiàzǎi</p>

<ul>
<li>《现代汉语规范词典》 has this definition:</li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
  <p>下载 [xiàzǎi]</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>动 将互联网或其他电子计算机上的信息资料复制到本台计算机上</li>
  </ol>
</blockquote>

<ul>
<li>Collins Chinese-English Dictionary</li>
</ul></li>
<li><p>xiàzài </p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanban">汉办</a> has an official list of what you need to know for the new HSK (with Pinyin), and there it is xiàzài </li>
<li>Comprehensive Chinese-English Dictionary </li>
</ul></li>
</ol>

<p>When I'm in doubt I normally rely on 《现代汉语规范词典》 and 汉办 but here they are in disagreement. I think in this case there is no right answer and both pronunciations are acceptable.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-14T23:27:55.743Z
It's about how it's said in reality. In reality, I personally have never heard anyone use xiàzài. Chinese dictionaries have a tendency to be prescriptive.
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-15T07:30:49.937Z
Yes, I also have never heard a fourth tone. I also asked some friends and they all said the same thing.
BertR
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-14T12:33:27.870Z
2012-08-14T13:29:37.837Z
2012-08-14T13:29:37.837Z
BertR
<p>就算正确读法是 xia4 zai4 ，在中国大陆还是读 xia4 zai3合适，因为大家都这么读，除非你在台湾。</p>

<p>Even though the correct pronunciation is xia4 zai4, in mainland China it's still pronounced xia4 zai3, because everyone pronounces it this way, except in Taiwan.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-18T17:18:29.033Z
君之蘭，欢迎你。 I did my best to translate this answer to English, anyone else want to improve my translation?
Don Kirkby
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-18T19:59:15.590Z
@君之蘭, can you give us an idea that in Taiwan, the ratio of people who pronounce it in 3rd tone vs. in 4th tone, like 9:1 or 6:4 or even 10:0?
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-18T15:27:55.097Z
2012-08-18T17:16:54.247Z
2012-08-18T17:16:54.247Z
君之蘭
<p>there is a <strong>rule</strong> <em>when you meet 2 same tone, that's the second one should be declined.</em></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>In you case "下载", both of their tone are fourth, so it should be
  pronounced as "xià zǎi".</p>
  
  <p>While in another case of "载人", it should be "zài ren".</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In one word, "载" has two tones and which tone should be used depend on the context, remember the <strong>rule</strong>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-26T12:32:58.467Z
Hey guy, except that the character **one** (一) appears at the beginning of a word, or multiple characters of **3rd tones** appears together, it is not necessary to change the tone. Though the reading tones are changed, the standard tone is always fixed. While the character 载 is originally a polyphone, but there is not any rule to change the tone for this character, also no need to consider the context.
xenophōn
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-31T15:03:15.637Z
to whoever vited it down - it is nice to comment your action so other would know why you think it is wrong
Juliusz
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-09-12T01:52:44.427Z
There are _lots_ of words with two fourth tones in a row. Where did you come up with this "rule"? (P.S. I'm not the downvoter, I just think this answer is not right.)
Stumpy Joe Pete
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-21T07:27:26.613Z
2012-08-21T07:27:26.613Z
jazzi
<p>How to pronounce the word "下载", "xià zǎi" or "xià zài"？</p>

<p>Most Chinese people pronounce it "xià zǎi", but there are some people insist on pronouncing it "xià zài". There are different also different pronunciations in different dictionaries.</p>

<p>The followings are the interpretations of the character "载" from zdic.net:</p>

<p>● 载 （載）zǎi  ㄗㄞˇ</p>

<ol>
<li>年；岁：千～难逢。三年两～。</li>
<li>记录；刊登；描绘：记～。连～。转～。</li>
</ol>

<p>● 载 （載）zài  ㄗㄞˋ</p>

<ol>
<li>装，用交通工具装：～客。～货。～重。～体。装～。满～而归。</li>
<li>充满：怨声～道。</li>
<li>乃，于是（古文里常用来表示同时做两个动作）：～歌～舞。</li>
<li>姓。</li>
</ol>

<p>"载" of "下载" has the same meaning as "load" of "download", but which meaning should we choose? The second meaning of "zǎi" or the first meaning of "zài"?</p>

<p><strong>Edit:</strong></p>

<p>I visited an online dictionary site of the Ministry of Education of R.O.C. (http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw). The followings are the interpretations of the character "载" there:</p>

<p>● 載　　部首：車　部首外筆畫：6　總筆畫：13  ㄗㄞˇ  zǎi</p>

<p>nouns.</p>

<ol>
<li>量詞。計算時間的單位。相當於「年」。如：「一年半載」、「三年五載」、「千載難逢」。</li>
</ol>

<p>● 載　　部首　車　部首外筆畫　6　總筆畫　13  ㄗㄞˋ  zài</p>

<p>verbs.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>乘坐。說文解字：「載，乘也。」史記˙卷二十九˙河渠書：「陸行載車，水行載舟。」唐˙孟郊˙感興詩：「吾欲載車馬，太行路崢嶸。」</p></li>
<li><p>裝運。如：「載人」、「載貨」。唐˙李白˙懷仙歌：「巨鼇莫載三山去，我欲蓬萊頂上行。」</p></li>
<li><p>記錄。如：「記載」、「刊載」、「轉載」。</p></li>
<li><p>承受。易經˙坤卦˙象曰：「君子以厚德載物。」三國志˙卷二十七˙魏書˙王基傳：「臣聞古人以水喻民，曰：『水所以載舟，亦所以覆舟。』」</p></li>
<li><p>充滿。如：「怨聲載道」。唐˙李白˙天長節度使鄂州刺史韋公德政碑：「頌聲載路，豐碑是刊。」</p></li>
</ol>

<p>conjs.</p>

<ol>
<li>且、又。同時做兩個動作。如：「載歌載舞」。詩經˙鄘風˙載馳：「載馳載驅，歸唁衛侯。」</li>
</ol>

<p>There is no interpretation we can choose if it is pronounced zǎi.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-26T12:21:18.160Z
Though the right tones of 下载 is **xià zài**, almost everyone read as **xià zǎi**, the fact is difficult to change.
xenophōn
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-14T22:13:16.363Z
Interesting. I have always pronounced 载 in 载歌载舞 in the third tone. No one ever pointed it out to me :(.
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-15T17:19:32.423Z
I believe that zai4 is prescriptively correct (For one thing, the interpretation makes sense...), but everyone says zai3 in practice. Such is life. Good question.
Stumpy Joe Pete
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-19T02:26:05.683Z
@BML, please refer to my answer under Justification heading for the interpretation of pronouncing as zǎi.
杨以轩
<mandarin><pronunciation>
How to pronounce "下载"
# How to pronounce "下载"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-08-14)

How to pronounce the word "下载", "xià zǎi" or "xià zài"？

Most Chinese people pronounce it "xià zǎi", but there are some people insist on pronouncing it "xià zài". There are different also different pronunciations in different dictionaries.

The followings are the interpretations of the character "载" from zdic.net:

● 载 （載）zǎi ㄗㄞˇ

1. 年；岁：千～难逢。三年两～。
2. 记录；刊登；描绘：记～。连～。转～。

● 载 （載）zài ㄗㄞˋ

1. 装，用交通工具装：～客。～货。～重。～体。装～。满～而归。
2. 充满：怨声～道。
3. 乃，于是（古文里常用来表示同时做两个动作）：～歌～舞。
4. 姓。

"载" of "下载" has the same meaning as "load" of "download", but which meaning should we choose? The second meaning of "zǎi" or the first meaning of "zài"?

**Edit:**

I visited an online dictionary site of the Ministry of Education of R.O.C. (http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw). The followings are the interpretations of the character "载" there:

● 載　　部首：車　部首外筆畫：6　總筆畫：13 ㄗㄞˇ zǎi

nouns.

1. 量詞。計算時間的單位。相當於「年」。如：「一年半載」、「三年五載」、「千載難逢」。

● 載　　部首　車　部首外筆畫　6　總筆畫　13 ㄗㄞˋ zài

verbs.

1. 乘坐。說文解字：「載，乘也。」史記˙卷二十九˙河渠書：「陸行載車，水行載舟。」唐˙孟郊˙感興詩：「吾欲載車馬，太行路崢嶸。」
2. 裝運。如：「載人」、「載貨」。唐˙李白˙懷仙歌：「巨鼇莫載三山去，我欲蓬萊頂上行。」
3. 記錄。如：「記載」、「刊載」、「轉載」。
4. 承受。易經˙坤卦˙象曰：「君子以厚德載物。」三國志˙卷二十七˙魏書˙王基傳：「臣聞古人以水喻民，曰：『水所以載舟，亦所以覆舟。』」
5. 充滿。如：「怨聲載道」。唐˙李白˙天長節度使鄂州刺史韋公德政碑：「頌聲載路，豐碑是刊。」

conjs.

1. 且、又。同時做兩個動作。如：「載歌載舞」。詩經˙鄘風˙載馳：「載馳載驅，歸唁衛侯。」

There is no interpretation we can choose if it is pronounced zǎi.

**Tags:** mandarin, pronunciation

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Interesting. I have always pronounced 载 in 载歌载舞 in the third tone. No one ever pointed it out to me :(.  
> **username_3**: I believe that zai4 is prescriptively correct (For one thing, the interpretation makes sense...), but everyone says zai3 in practice. Such is life. Good question.  
> **username_4**: @BML, please refer to my answer under Justification heading for the interpretation of pronouncing as zǎi.  
> **username_1**: Though the right tones of 下载 is **xià zài**, almost everyone read as **xià zǎi**, the fact is difficult to change.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2012-08-14. Score: 13

## What the online community thinks

From [Baidu 百科](http://baike.baidu.com/view/4238.htm):

> **准确读音** xià zài
>
> 　　“下载”这个词，规范读音按照[现代汉语词典](http://baike.baidu.com/view/98457.htm)、现代汉语规范词典等权威字典的标注应为“xià zài”。随着电脑的普及，这个词使用的频率越来越高，但可惜的是绝大多数人一开口就是从网上“xià zǎi”，就连播音员、主持人也读“xià zǎi”，如央视的晚间新闻在播送“网络侵权BT下载”时就读成“xià zǎi”。可以说电台、电视台的播音员、节目主持人对“xià zǎi”这个错误的读音起了推波助澜的作用。就目前的趋势来看，要推广“下载”的正确读音已非常困难，已经习非成是了。这些现象给人一种感觉，好像电台、电视台的播音员、节目主持人的发音很随意，因为这些错误的读音许多是在同一个播音员或主持人嘴里反复发出的，而这些错误的读音又严重影响了普通话规范语音的推广普及。这是当前语言文字规范化工作中不容忽视的一个问题。

It says: According to the [Modern Chinese Dictionary](http://baike.baidu.com/view/98457.htm) and other authoritative sources, the accurate pronunciation should be "xià zài". But due to the proliferation of computers and rise in the usage frequency of this term, the great majority of the people when they speak, pronounce it as “xià zǎi”. This includes radio and tv hosts, and even a newscaster from CCTV. This mispronunciation has a rippling effect that from current trend seems difficult to reverse and has already become a norm. The phenomenon seems to give one the impression that the these professionals are very lax in their pronunciation. However, the mistake, in most occasions, originated from one host or one presenter, repeated over a number of times. These mispronunciations have seriously impeded the popularisation and standardization of Mandarin as the universal dialect, and is a problem that should not be ignored.

The above is further corroborated with answers to the same question [here](http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/30739489.html).

## What a research shows

There is an interesting research paper on this “下载”的读音和释义 (`http://202.194.40.31:8080/ec2006/C234/res/7/res/201010241009%5B29477%5D.pdf`).

To summarize:

1. The two most authoritative dictionaries give different
   interpretations of the same term:

> **下载 xià zài**: 从互联网或其他计算机上获取信息并装入到某台计算机或其他电子装置上 (跟 “上传” 相对)。
>
> 《现代汉语词典》(第 5 版)
>
> **下载 xià zǎi**: 将互联网或其他电子计算机上的信息资料复制到本台计算机上 (跟 “上载” 相对)。
>
> 《现代汉语规范词典》- According to research [see table], most of the dictionaries indicate
>   the pronunciation as "xià zài", however this is inconclusive since
>   many of the minor dictionaries take reference from the more
>   authoritative sources such as《现代汉语词典》and《新华词典》.
> - According to a classroom survey of about 500, 68% respondents
>   indicated that they pronounce the term as "xià zǎi" while 32%
>   pronounce as "xià zài".
> - An [online poll](http://ccl.pku.edu.cn/poll/result.asp?wj_id=3) was also conducted with a clear majority of 94%
>   pronouncing the term as "xià zǎi" out of 225 respondents.
> - "记载" and "装载" are the two most closely associated terms with "下载".
> - The word "载" is derived from "车" and "装载" precedes "记载" which is
>   derived from "containing" in a metaphorical sense.
> The above are some points put forth by the author, I left out part of his argument and conclusion which I find subjective and highly debatable.

## Justifications

The use of "xià zǎi" can be justified to be derived from the term "[记载](http://baike.baidu.com/view/749286.htm)" (jì zǎi) since "下载" or download refers to receiving a copy of the original file on the local system. The action of copying can be taken to mean recording or "记载" although it is not so obvious to some.

The use of "xià zài" can be justified by the single word "载" (zài) which means transporting. Downloading is a process of transmitting (or transporting) electronic data from the remote system to the local system.

## The verdict

Inconclusive. Use whichever pronunciation that you feel can get the other party understand you.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: I also saw that page, but I would say that 《现代汉语规范词典》 is also an  authoritative source, if not even more than the others.  
> **username_5**: Does anyone have a paper version of 《现代汉语词典》? In this online version http://www.51240.com/cidian/ it's xiàzǎi and not xiàzài. I have an older paper version, but it doesn't have the word.  
> **username_4**: @username_5, no, I don't have that dictionary. I could be wrong since Baidu is the Chinese version of Wikipedia which relies purely on crowd-sourcing. My conjecture is that `载` came from the first meaning of "zài" (to load) in BML's question, so it should logically follow the same pronunciation. The newer dictionaries may have subsequently revised the pronunciation to "xià zǎi" as many people are already pronouncing it this way. However, these are just my personal opinions.  
> **username_6**: @username_5, I noticed that you use 《现代汉语规范词典》 as the ultimate source for many things. May I ask why? My middle school (in Beijing) and college (Peking Univ) both use 《新华字典》 and 《现代汉语词典》 as the authoritative source and  told us all the other sources (including 《现代汉语规范词典》) are unreliable. I don't mean to question you but try to understand if there is a regional or education system-wise difference.  
> **username_5**: @username_6: normally I also use 《现代汉语词典》 (in my posts I normally refer to both), but my edition doesn't have the word 下载. Personally I think that the explanations in 《现代汉语规范词典》 are often more clear. Anyway, I'm still wondering which tones 下载 has in a recent edition of 《现代汉语词典》. On Baidu they say that 载 has a fourth tone in  《现代汉语词典》, but in the online version I linked above they have a third tone for 载.  
> **username_6**: @username_5, I see. For this one no matter which dictionary says what, it's prescriptive and artificial. We all know how it is pronounced in real life:)  
> **username_4**: @username_5, if you look into the revision history of the above Baidu 百科 article, there was a debate on the pronunciation. A change was made by one contributor but reverted quite quickly by another contributor who mentioned that the fifth revision of the hard copy version of《现代汉语词典》does prescribe using "xià zài". In any case, as username_6 mentioned, it is prescriptive and artificial. I would pronounce it the way that is understood by most.  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2012-08-14. Score: 7

This is a difficult one.
Just by looking at the meanings of the characters, I would say the 4th tone is slightly better.

I also checked some dictionaries for 下载 as a word and as you already mentioed, they don't agree on this one (and online resources also don't).

Some examples from reference works for xiàzǎi and xiàzài:

1. xiàzǎi

   * 《现代汉语规范词典》 has this definition:
   > 下载 [xiàzǎi]
   >
   > 1. 动 将互联网或其他电子计算机上的信息资料复制到本台计算机上

   * Collins Chinese-English Dictionary
2. xiàzài

   * [汉办](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanban) has an official list of what you need to know for the new HSK (with Pinyin), and there it is xiàzài
   * Comprehensive Chinese-English Dictionary

When I'm in doubt I normally rely on 《现代汉语规范词典》 and 汉办 but here they are in disagreement. I think in this case there is no right answer and both pronunciations are acceptable.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: It's about how it's said in reality. In reality, I personally have never heard anyone use xiàzài. Chinese dictionaries have a tendency to be prescriptive.  
> **username_5**: Yes, I also have never heard a fourth tone. I also asked some friends and they all said the same thing.  

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### Answer by username_7 on 2012-08-18. Score: 4

就算正确读法是 xia4 zai4 ，在中国大陆还是读 xia4 zai3合适，因为大家都这么读，除非你在台湾。

Even though the correct pronunciation is xia4 zai4, in mainland China it's still pronounced xia4 zai3, because everyone pronounces it this way, except in Taiwan.

> **Comments:**
> **username_8**: username_7，欢迎你。 I did my best to translate this answer to English, anyone else want to improve my translation?  
> **username_6**: @username_7, can you give us an idea that in Taiwan, the ratio of people who pronounce it in 3rd tone vs. in 4th tone, like 9:1 or 6:4 or even 10:0?  

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### Answer by username_9 on 2012-08-21. Score: -1

there is a **rule** *when you meet 2 same tone, that's the second one should be declined.*

> In you case "下载", both of their tone are fourth, so it should be
> pronounced as "xià zǎi".
>
> While in another case of "载人", it should be "zài ren".

In one word, "载" has two tones and which tone should be used depend on the context, remember the **rule**.

> **Comments:**
> **username_10**: to whoever vited it down - it is nice to comment your action so other would know why you think it is wrong  
> **username_3**: There are _lots_ of words with two fourth tones in a row. Where did you come up with this "rule"? (P.S. I'm not the downvoter, I just think this answer is not right.)  
> **username_1**: Hey guy, except that the character **one** (一) appears at the beginning of a word, or multiple characters of **3rd tones** appears together, it is not necessary to change the tone. Though the reading tones are changed, the standard tone is always fixed. While the character 载 is originally a polyphone, but there is not any rule to change the tone for this character, also no need to consider the context.  

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