Pinyin Romanization
Chinese writing system
Pinyin romanization, also spelled Pin-yin, also called Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, Chinese (Pinyin) Hanyu pinyin wenzi (“Chinese-language combining-sounds alphabet”), system of romanization for the Chinese written language based on the pronunciation of the Beijing dialect of Mandarin Chinese. The gradual acceptance of Pinyin as the official transcription used in the People’s Republic of China signaled a commitment to promote the use of the Beijing dialect as the national standard, to standardize pronunciation across areas that speak different dialects, and to end the confusion in romanizing and alphabetizing Chinese characters.
Pinyin to Wade-Giles conversions
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Pinyin
Wade-Giles
Pinyin
Wade-Giles
Pinyin
Wade-Giles
Pinyin
Wade-Giles
*Oral or dialectal syllable with no official Wade-Giles equivalent.
a
a
gou
kou
mo
mo
song
sung
ai
ai
gu
ku
mou
mou
sou
sou
an
an
gua
kua
mu
mu
su
su
ang
ang
guai
kuai
na
na
suan
suan
ao
ao
guan
kuan
nai
nai
sui
sui
ba
pa
guang
kuang
nan
nan
sun
sun
bai
pai
gui
kuei
nang
nang
suo
so
ban
pan
gun
kun
nao
nao
ta
t'a
bang
pang
guo
kuo
ne
*
tai
t'ai
bao
pao
ha
ha
nei
nei
tan
t'an
bei
pei
hai
hai
nen
nen
tang
t'ang
ben
pen
han
han
neng
neng
tao
t'ao
beng
peng
hang
hang
ni
ni
te
t'e
bi
pi
hao
hao
nian
nien
tei
*
bian
pien
he
ho
niang
niang
teng
t'eng
biao
piao
hei
hei
niao
niao
ti
t'i
bie
pieh
hen
hen
nie
nieh
tian
t'ien
bin
pin
heng
heng
nin
nin
tiao
t'iao
bing
ping
hong
hung
ning
ning
tie
t'ieh
bo
po
hou
hou
niu
niu
ting
t'ing
bu
pu
hu
hu
nong
nung
tong
t'ung
ca
ts'a
hua
hua
nou
nou
tou
t'ou
cai
ts'ai
huai
huai
nu
nu
tu
t'u
can
ts'an
huan
huan
nü
nü
tuan
t'uan
cang
ts'ang
huang
huang
nuan
nuan
tui
t'ui
cao
ts'ao
hui
hui
nüe
nüeh
tun
t'un
ce
ts'e
hun
hun
nuo
no
tuo
t'o
cei
*
huo
huo
o
wo
wa
wa
cen
ts'en
ji
chi
ou
ou
wai
wai
ceng
ts'eng
jia
chia
pa
p'a
wan
wan
cha
ch'a
jian
chien
pai
p'ai
wang
wang
chai
ch'ai
jiang
chiang
pan
p'an
wei
wei
chan
ch'an
jiao
chiao
pang
p'ang
wen
wen
chang
ch'ang
jie
chieh
pao
p'ao
weng
weng
chao
ch'ao
jin
chin
pei
p'ei
wo
wo
che
ch'e
jing
ching
pen
p'en
wu
wu
chen
ch'en
jiong
chiung
peng
p'eng
xi
hsi
cheng
ch'eng
jiu
chiu
pi
p'i
xia
hsia
chi
ch'ih
ju
chü
pian
p'ien
xian
hsien
chong
ch'ung
juan
chüan
piao
p'iao
xiang
hsiang
chou
ch'ou
jue
chüeh
pie
p'ieh
xiao
hsiao
chu
ch'u
jun
chün
pin
p'in
xie
hsieh
chua
ch'ua
ka
k'a
ping
p'ing
xin
hsin
chuai
ch'uai
kai
k'ai
po
p'o
xing
hsing
chuan
ch'uan
kan
k'an
pou
p'ou
xiong
hsiung
chuang
ch'uang
kang
k'ang
pu
p'u
xiu
hsiu
chui
ch'ui
kao
k'ao
qi
ch'i
xu
hsü
chun
ch'un
ke
k'o
qia
ch'ia
xuan
hsüan
chuo
ch'o
kei
k'ei
qian
ch'ien
xue
hsüeh
ci
tz'u
ken
k'en
qiang
ch'iang
xun
hsün
cong
ts'ung
keng
k'eng
qiao
ch'iao
ya
ya
cou
ts'ou
kong
k'ung
qie
ch'ieh
yan
yen
cu
ts'u
kou
k'ou
qin
ch'in
yang
yang
cuan
ts'uan
ku
k'u
qing
ch'ing
yao
yao
cui
ts'ui
kua
k'ua
qiong
ch'iung
ye
yeh
cun
ts'un
kuai
k'uai
qiu
ch'iu
yi
i
cuo
ts'o
kuan
k'uan
qu
ch'ü
yin
yin
da
ta
kuang
k'uang
quan
ch'üan
ying
ying
dai
tai
kui
k'uei
que
ch'üeh
yo
*
dan
tan
kun
k'un
qun
ch'ün
yong
yung
dang
tang
kuo
k'uo
ran
jan
you
yu
dao
tao
la
la
rang
jang
yu
yü
de
te
lai
lai
rao
jao
yuan
yüan
dei
*
lan
lan
re
je
yue
yüeh, yo
den
*
lang
lang
ren
jen
yun
yün
deng
teng
lao
lao
reng
jeng
za
tsa
di
ti
le
le
ri
jih
zai
tsai
dian
tien
lei
lei
rong
jung
zan
tsan
diao
tiao
leng
leng
rou
jou
zang
tsang
die
tieh
li
li
ru
ju
zao
tsao
ding
ting
lia
lia
rua
*
ze
tse
diu
tiu
lian
lien
ruan
juan
zei
tsei
dong
tung
liang
liang
rui
jui
zen
tsen
dou
tou
liao
liao
run
jun
zeng
tseng
du
tu
lie
lieh
ruo
jo
zha
cha
duan
tuan
lin
lin
sa
sa
zhai
chai
dui
tui
ling
ling
sai
sai
zhan
chan
dun
tun
liu
liu
san
san
zhang
chang
duo
to
lo
*
sang
sang
zhao
chao
e
ê, o
long
lung
sao
sao
zhe
che
ê
eh
lou
lou
se
se
zhei
*
en
en
lu
lu
sen
sen
zhen
chen
eng
êng
lü
lü
seng
seng
zheng
cheng
er
erh
luan
luan, lüan
sha
sha
zhi
chih
fa
fa
lüe
lüeh
shai
shai
zhong
chung
fan
fan
lun
lun
shan
shan
zhou
chou
fang
fang
luo
lo
shang
shang
zhu
chu
fei
fei
ma
ma
shao
shao
zhua
chua
fen
fen
mai
mai
she
she
zhuai
chuai
feng
feng
man
man
shei
shei
zhuan
chuan
fo
fo
mang
mang
shen
shen
zhuang
chuang
fou
fou
mao
mao
sheng
sheng
zhui
chui
fu
fu
me
*
shi
shih
zhun
chun
ga
ka
mei
mei
shou
shou
zhuo
cho
gai
kai
men
men
shu
shu
zi
tzu
gan
kan
meng
meng
shua
shua
zong
tsung
gang
kang
mi
mi
shuai
shuai
zou
tsou
gao
kao
mian
mien
shuan
shuan
zu
tsu
ge
ko
miao
miao
shuang
shuang
zuan
tsuan
gei
kei
mie
mieh
shui
shui
zui
tsui
gen
ken
min
min
shun
shun
zun
tsun
geng
keng
ming
ming
shuo
shuo
zuo
tso
gong
kung
miu
miu
si
szu, ssu
National script reform began in 1913 with the creation of the National Phonetic Alphabet based on Chinese characters. Several attempts were made in the 1920s and ’30s to devise and promote a Latin alphabet for the Chinese language, but with little concrete success. After the communist takeover of China in 1949, work on a comprehensive script reform was begun. After considering and rejecting proposals for the use of either Chinese characters or the Cyrillic alphabet, the Latin alphabet was chosen for use. The resulting Chinese Phonetic Alphabet was adopted by the Committee on Language Reform in 1956 and modified in 1958. The island of Taiwan has continued to prefer the earlier Wade-Giles romanization system, although a modified system that is orthographically somewhat between Pinyin and Wade-Giles has been in limited use there since about 2000.
Pinyin was intended not to replace the Chinese characters but to help teach pronunciation and to popularize the Beijing dialect. The adoption of Pinyin also made it possible to standardize the spelling of Chinese personal and place names abroad. Beginning on Jan. 1, 1979, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China for Romanization prescribed that all translated diplomatic and foreign-language publications employ Pinyin in English-speaking countries and the Lessing-Othmer system in German-speaking countries. Chinese-language lessons for foreigners are conducted in Pinyin, and it is used for telegraphic codes, the Central Broadcasting System, braille for the blind, finger-spelling for the deaf, dictionaries, and indexes. Pinyin replaced the traditional writing systems of several ethnic minorities in China and has been used to document the previously unwritten languages of many more; a number of nonstandard characters have been devised to facilitate the writing of names transliterated from non-Chinese languages. It is also helpful for inputting Chinese characters when using a standard computer keyboard. Some interesting features of Pinyin are the clear and consistent way that distinctions are drawn between aspirated and unaspirated consonants (p, t, c, ch, and k are aspirated and b, d, z, zh, and g are their unaspirated equivalents) and the use of digraphs (zh, ch, and sh) for retroflex consonants. Pinyin also dispenses with the use of hyphens and reduces use of the juncture symbol (’) to a minimum.
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