Learn Chinese Pinyin in 21 Days â Day 3: Initials, b, p, m, f. In this Pinyin Lesson, we learn how to pronounce four initials, which are b, p, m, f. We also learn some Chinese characters that use b, p, m, f. In addition you can have tone drill and quiz on b, p, m, f. Initials are called å£°æ¯ in simplified Chinese (pinyin: shÄngmÇ). There are 21 initials excluding y and w.