Extensive description of lexical tones, syllabic coalescence and morphotonology brings out two classes that both surface as “rising tone” in Naxi. On the one hand, there exists one rising tone lexically associated to the syllable, which occurs mostly on Chinese loanwords. On the other hand, there exist four different types of non-lexical rising contours resulting from syllable reduction and grammatical processes. The situation is further complicated by the fact that some of the non-lexical contours are undergoing lexicalization – a process which we argue sheds indirect light on the diachronic origin of the lexical rising tone. Analysis of the various types of rising contours in Naxi, shaped by multiple factors ranging from lexical tonology and coarticulation to syntax (through language contact and expressive coinages), allows for new insights into Tibeto-Burman tonal typology and the dynamics of tonal systems.