I thought we needed a post for MacUsers of ChinesePod so I'm throwing this one out: how to type in Pinyin with tone marks on a Mac.

Typing Pinyin with tone marks (using any Unicode font)

1. select U.S. Extended keyboard
   

• 1st tone: option A + vowel ā, ē, ī, ō, ū
  
• 2nd tone: option E + vowel á, é, í, ó, ú
  
• 3rd tone: option V + vowel ǎ, ě, ǐ, ǒ, ǔ
  
• 4th tone: option  `+ vowel à, è, ì, ò, ù
  

special cases

• Capital letters: simply use the shift key while striking the vowel key: Ā, Á, Ǎ, À, Ē, É, Ě, È, etc.
  
• Umlaut (ü): use the V key instead of the U ǖ, ǘ, ǚ, ǜ
  

installing the U.S. Extended keyboard

1. open International (in system preferences)
   
2. select Input Menu
   
3. select U.S. Extended (a Unicode keyboard)
   

Hi people!

I couldn't locate the original Mobile Site conversation so I decided to start a new one. This is more of a request and to see if other people share my view that the mobile site needs to be simplified a little.

I don't have an iPhone, I use a HipTop Slide (aka SideKick in the USA) to access the internet when I am on the go. For the most part I can view many pages normally and participate in "some" forums discussions, facebook, blogging etc but there are some sites that are very rich in Java and Flash that I am unable to access because my device does not support these fully.

When I go to most sites that support mobile devices, the site is tailored to suit the low-bandwidth requirements of these devices. All the images have been stripped off the page, all the flash removed, scripts are kept to an absolute minimum etc. You basically end up with a text-based page with one or two pictures, and basic input boxes if interaction is allowed.

So.. back to the Mobile cPOD site: Last month when I decided to go back to Premium membership, instead of just Basic (my needs have changed a little), I did so under the impression that I would be able to do most of the same things on my mobile device that I can do on the main site because there was a dedicated mobile site. Unfortunately, due to the large amount of flash being used to drive the site, I am unable to even participate in conversation discussions.

The "Lessons" page has large pictures for each lesson and a very long description of the lesson, just like on the main site. This makes it a chore to find the lesson I want and because there is no search function on the mobile site, I am unable to refine the displayed lessons down. I do see a "Filter" button there but it does not function for me because I think it is using Flash or something in order to send the requests. This is a cosmetic thing, for sure, but a simplified list like that one found on the main site's "Manage Archived Lessons" would be perfect for the mobile site.

So, overlooking that for the moment, I enter in on a lesson to find out that I can't listen to the content directly. This is just a restriction by my device, I can just download the MP3s at home and load them on my memory stick.. there's nothing cPOD can do about this.. even if it wasn't a flash player, I am not able to stream MP3s to my device. Anyway.. I can read the discussion comments left by other people but when I go to post my own lesson comment, the editor at the bottom does not allow me to post. I can type out my response in the editor but clicking on the "Add Comment" button does nothing.

In the Community Conversation section, it gets even worse. I am able to see the initial post by the original poster but all the comments are missing and just the "Loading..." text is displayed. Again, I can type in the editor box but can't get it to submit my comment.

One last thing.. My device doesn't have a great amount of language support, and whenever I view both Hanzi and the accented Pinyin, I am getting a lot of "missing" characters. Would it be possible to add the "numbered" type of pinyin to the PDFs or something for mobile devices that don't have great language support?

My subscription needs renewing again and I'll have to resign myself to the Basic level until such a time that the mobile site becomes a little more useable for me. It may sound like a step backwards by simplifying the mobile site and stripping it of all the unneeded content.. but in my opinion it's a step forward to allow more people with less-than-hitech mobile devices to access the site directly without having to do annoying workarounds just to use the site.

I'm having trouble figuring out how to "decode" the pinyin chart.  Also, I can't figure out how you figure out how to pronounce something (based on the letters) when it's written in pinyin.

Are there lessons about this?

Thanks!

What determines the placement of the tone mark? Why is it over certain letters and not over others?? does it have something to do with pronounciation of the word?

can someone please clarify for me?

This was explained to me a long time ago but i dont remember.

Thanks in advance.

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Hi, in the pinyin chart tutorial it describes the r sound as like the s in measure, but when you listen to the examples it just sounds like an English r, except with the tongue rolled back against the hard palate.  I met a Chinese guy the other day who used that buzzing sort of pronunciation to say re4 (hot).  Can someone clarify?

Also, just wondering why there is no w on the left hand side of the pinyin chart.  I have my suspicions about wang which I always pronounce and hear as wong but the pinyin chart ang examples don’t sound like ong.  Is wong the exception that proves the rule?

guys, why not try the free software by Google and a Chinese local translation software designer. it's very very popular.

move your mouse on the character, it will show the english idea and pinyin, and vice versa.

http://download.iciba.com/pwl/powerwordlite.25269.3008.exe

Typing Chinese is easier than you think using English (Romanized) Pinyin method.

If you have Microsoft Windows, all you need is few settings and no additional software purchase. MS Global Input Method Editors (IMEs) and it will do the trick.

Read my blog http://gkumaran.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-type-chinese-characters-using-ms.html 

This blog has screenshots to guide you to perfection.

Our app which designed to help none Chinese speaking people learn the pronunciation of pinyin has now available on Apple App Store.

It also can convert any Chinese character to it’s pinyin syllable.

It maybe useful for newbie chinese learners.

If you are interested in the app you can download it from this link: http://itunes.com/apps/PinyinPro

You can send me a email to get one promotion code, with this code you can download the app for free from the US Apple App Store.

Note: you must have account in US Apple App Store.

If you have any question or advice about the app, please let me know to help us improve the app.

Hi, I'm looking for a way to verify my pronounciation on whole sentences that I wrote down, for instance I'd like to paste in the computer: "wǒ zài měi guó", and the computer would pronounce that for me, and I would repeat the sentence.

Is there such a software package or maybe a website ?

thank you.

Hi,

I like the Google translation tool. However still an audio tool is not included so that I cannot hear the Chinese in order to exercise and master the correct pronounciation. Is there a software or website available where I can ideally translate whole sentences and will get also the PINYIN including audio support???

With Google the sentence "i like chinese food" gives the right translation "wǒ xǐ huan zhōng guó shí pǐn". It would also help if I could now copy the PINYIN into a software or Online Tool to hear the pronounciation. Is something like this availble???

http://translate.google.com/translate_t?hl=en&safe=off&q=i%20like%20chinese%20food&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wT#

Hi,

I like the Google translation tool. However still an audio tool is not included so that I cannot hear the Chinese in order to exercise and master the correct pronounciation. Is there a software or website available where I can ideally translate whole sentences and will get also the PINYIN including audio support???

With Google the sentence "i like chinese food" gives the right translation "wǒ xǐ huan zhōng guó shí pǐn". It would also help if I could now copy the PINYIN into a software or Online Tool to hear the pronounciation. Is something like this availble???

http://translate.google.com/translate_t?hl=en&safe=off&q=i%20like%20chinese%20food&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wT#

I am currently learning Chinese on Cpod and at an evening class (once a week). I have been given a sheet with the task to:

Write down the following Pinyin in the correct form and read it:

1. ū iā
2. uéng ián
3. ǜ uàng
4. üàn ì
5. ú ǚ
6. ǚ iè
7. uāng iáng
8. ǔ í
9. ún í
10. ǚ ún
11. īng ǔ
12. ì ù

Now, in the last five mins of my last class we ran through some pinyin rules:

• if a word begins with 'u' the written form is 'w' and..
• if a word begins with 'i' the written form is 'y'
• the vowel 'u' after consonants 'j', 'q' and 'x' should be pronouced 'ü'
• there is no 'ü' after consonants 'z, c, s, h, r, zh, ch and sh'
• and, the letter 'i' after 'z, c, s, zh, ch, sh and r' has no sound but is a tonal vehicle.

Maybe people have asked for this before...but I would really love it if you guys would offer pinyin in the Podcast lesson dialog. As it is I study from the Podcast. My priority is learning spoken Chinese now...and the only way I can transcribe the dialogues for study (and be sure that I'm not making mistakes by just writing down what I think I hear) is by printing out the dialogue from my computer...which is a waste of paper and time. It would make the podcasts so much more useful to me if pinyin were included in the podcast download. 

Thanks.

To anybody,

ChinesePod place in "Ad Ons" which allows you to check a box so that you can turn Pinyin numbers ...i.e. wo3 into the tone marks. But I can't seem to find an explanation as to how to actually physically do this. It just say you can do it .....did I miss something somewhere ?

Also can someone please tell me how I can download my vocabulary list onto my I Touch if that is possible ?

Thanks, Wesley