Pinyin method

The pinyin method (simplified Chinese: 拼音输入法; traditional Chinese: 拼音輸入法; pinyin: pīnyīn shūrù fǎ) refers to a family of input methods based on the pinyin method of romanization.

In the most basic form, the pinyin method allows a user to input Chinese characters by entering the pinyin of a Chinese character (with or without tone, depending on the system) and then presenting the user with a list of possible characters with that pronunciation. However, there are a number of slightly different such systems in use, and modern pinyin methods provide a number of convenience features.

Pinyin-based input methods differ in a number of possible aspects, including:

• Input of the letter ü: The letter ü might need to be input using different keys in different systems. Currently in the Microsoft Hanyu Pinyin system, ü is inputted by typing the letter "v." For example, 女 (pinyin: nǚ; female) would be entered as "nv".
• Handling of tones: Entering of the Mandarin tones might be mandatory (带调/帶調), or tones might need to be omitted (不带调/不帶調).
• Number of Chinese characters to convert: In the most basic systems, one character is converted at a time; the common systems used today often convert at the word level; in more sophisticated systems, the user can convert a whole sentence at a time.

Convenience features

Most pinyin-based input methods provide convenience features to speed up the input of characters. The most common convenience features include

• allowing the user to input more than one character at a time
• guessing the next character after the user has input a character (association 联想/聯想)
• adjusting the position of candidate characters in the list, based on the frequency that the characters are typed
• allowing the user to omit all but the first or first couple of letters in the pinyin spelling
• allowing a user who cannot speak perfect Mandarin to input slightly incorrect pronunciations (fuzzy input 模糊音)

Some of these convenience features can speed up typing immensely. For example, it might be possible to get the word for "concert" (音乐会/音樂会) by just inputting "yyh" (versus "yinyuehui"). Input of longer words or phrases may be sped up even more if the system recognizes the words.

Advantages and disadvantages

The obvious advantage of pinyin-based input methods is the ease of learning; those who are familiar with pinyin would be able to input Chinese characters with almost no training, compared to other input methods.

For people who do not speak Mandarin, however, this advantage becomes its disadvantage. For some speakers of Mandarin who merge the sounds represented by c and ch, s and sh, z and zh, n and ng, h or hu and f, or n and l, pinyin-based input methods can be difficult to use. Although many pinyin-based input methods in use today have customizable fuzzy input features which could be toggled on, this allows users who would otherwise have difficulty distinguishing the sounds mentioned above to find the corresponding characters or words with ease.

Implementations

• Microsoft Pinyin IME, bundled with Windows 2000 or higher, developed by Harbin Institute of Technology.
• ZNABC, bundled with Simplified Chinese edition of Windows XP, developed by Peking University.
• Google Pinyin, Google's implementation for Windows XP.
• Sogou Pinyin, Sogou created the IME on which Google based Google Pinyin
• Smart Pinyin (scim-pinyin), pinyin implementation for SCIM input platform on Linux, BSD, and other Unices.
• Bimspinyin, pinyin implementation for xcin input platform on Linux, BSD, and other Unices.
• InputKing, web-based IME through browsers.
• OpenVanilla, a cross-platform framework for Chinese and more. Great for Mac OS X.

See also

• Chinese input methods for computers
• Keyboard layoutfr:Méthode pinyin