Junctures and coarticulations between syllable initial consonant and vowel have usually been described in terms of transitions and target variations. This study proposes that we also need to specify differences in relative temporal positioning between these two major syllabic constituents. The C + /iau/ syllables in Chinese were examined. The /iau/ is a triphthong rhyme. Because rhyme internal formant pattern remains constant in different syllables, the turning point in formant trajectories can be used as reference for determining the temporal position of the rhyme as a whole. In fact, we have observed the whole rhyme shifting along the time axis relative to the initial consonant boundary. Data from six speakers shows that syllable initial consonant and rhyme exhibit different degrees of overlapping and “repelling,” with a distance ranging from − 15 to 83 ms. The relation between these findings and the P center or stress beat measured in the same tokens is also discussed. [Work supported by NSF.]