Pinyin input method: Difference between revisions

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==Advantages and disadvantages==

The obvious advantage of pinyin-based input methods the ease of learning for [[Standard Chinese]] speakers. Those who are familiar with pinyin and are able to recognize the resulting characters would be able to input them with almost no training, compared to other input methods.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pinyinjoe.com/about-pinyin-input.htm|title=About Pinyin input (and other methods): Chinese typing basics and background :: Pinyin Joe|website=www.pinyinjoe.com|access-date=2020-03-31}}</ref> It does not require the user to be able to construct the character from scratch, as one would do in [[written Chinese]]. Since all children in [[Mainlandmainland China]] are required to learn pinyin in [[Education in China|school]], pinyin is among the most popular input methods there.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.justincheuk.com/just-how-do-you-type-in-chinese-introduction-to-chinese-input-methods/|title=Just How do you Type in Chinese? Introduction to Chinese Input Methods|last=Cheuk|first=Justin|date=2016-12-09|website=Justin Cheuk: When HK Meets UK|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-03-31}}</ref>

For people who cannot speak Standard Chinese, the main advantage of pinyin becomes a disadvantage, as they will need to learn the Standard Chinese pronunciation of characters before they are able to use this input method.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.writtenchinese.com/pros-cons-learning-chinese-pinyin/|title=Pros and Cons of Learning Chinese with Pinyin|date=2014-04-18|website=Written Chinese|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-31}}</ref> Also, because pinyin and other [[pronunciation]]-based input methods do not rely on the written formation of the character for input (as do [[Stroke (CJK character)|stroke-based]] input methods like [[Cangjie input method|Cangjie]]), they may cause [[language attrition]] and skill loss in adults, and it may be a learning barrier for written Chinese in children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E1D9163EF932A35751C0A9679C8B63|title=Where the PC Is Mightier Than the Pen|last=Lee|first=Jennifer|date=2001-02-01|work=[[New York Times]]|access-date=2008-07-29}}</ref>

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=== Double pinyin ===

[[File:MSPY-double-pinyin.svg|thumb|The default double pinyin scheme in [[Microsoft Pinyin IME]]. Many IME, including ibus-pinyin, support this scheme.]]

Vowel groups in pinyin can be up to four letters long. ''Double pinyin'' (双拼) is a method whereby longer vowel groups are assigned to consonant keys as shortcuts, and zh, ch, sh are assigned to vowel keys as shortcuts. Thus, when the input method expects a vowel, the user can use the shortcuts to speed up typing.

In the [[Microsoft Pinyin IME]], for example, if a user wants to input “中华人民共和国 (zhōnghuárénmíngònghéguó)”, "People's Republic of China" into the computer, they need to type "zhonghuarenmingongheguo" in Full Pinyin. In Double Pinyin, however, one only needs to type "vshwrfmngshego" (v=zh, s=ong, h=h, w=ua, r=r, f=en, m=m, n=in, g=g, s=ong, h=h, e=e, g=g, o=uo). However, with a system that uses abbreviation, the same result can be achieved by just typing in "zhrmghg".

=== Typo correction ===

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=== Language mixing ===

Most advanced pinyin method implementations allow the mixing of English into an input stream without requiring the user to change the language mode. However,The itShift oftenkey comes(on withWindows) someor limitationsthe suchCaps asLock requiringkey (on macOS, labelled as the input中/英 key on Mac keyboards sold in China) is most commonly used tofor bethis uppercasepurpose.

The following examples show thetwo differencedifferent if user wishesways to enter "这个SQL漏洞可以瘫痪整个系统。" (This [[SQL]] vulnerability could paralyze the entire system.):

* "zhe ge [switch to English] SQL [switch to Chinese] loudong keyi tanhuan zhengge xitong." (Unsupported)

* "zhe ge [enable Caps Lock] SQL [disable Caps Lock] loudong keyi tanhuan zhengge xitong." (Supported)

==Implementations==

{{External links|section|date=September 2017}}

The following are the most popular pinyin method editors used in [[Mainlandmainland China]]. They are free to download at their official websites.

=== Cross platform ===

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=== Windows ===

*[[Microsoft Pinyin IME]], bundled with Windows 3.1x or higher, and bundled with all Simplified Chinese editions of Windows, developed by [[Harbin Institute of Technology]] (微软拼音输入法).

*[[ZNABC]], bundled with Simplified Chinese edition of Windows XP, developed by [[Peking University]] (智能ABC输入法).

*[[Sogou Pinyin]] (搜狗拼音输入法).