Chinese input methods in Linux

jonsg
 October 02, 2008 at 01:38 PM posted in General Discussion

Hi all, I'm Jon, inveterate Linux user, CPod Ellie (I guess) and hopeless with Han characters at the present.

I've found Microsoft's Chinese input method engine (IME; the way in which you type the characters from a Western keyboard) to be relatively intuitive.

Unfortunately, despite trying all of the multiplicity of IMEs offered as standard by Ubuntu (Hardy Heron, if anyone's interested), I haven't found one that lets me type Chinese the way I need.

What I'm after is some kind of IME that allows me to type in PinYin (unaccented, for preference), and offers me at each keystroke a selection of characters, each with a one- or two-word translation so that I can work out more easily which one I need.  The IMEs on offer all appear to expect the typist to know Chinese by sight, and don't help the struggling noobs like me!

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Jon

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andrew_c
 December 03, 2008 at 05:43 PM

Hi Dan,

I'd be really interested in trying that out if you implemented it.

I don't mean this as a specific request of you, but I'd really like to see this done in SCIM, as opposed to just for emacs, so that it works for other applications.

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dangrayson
 December 03, 2008 at 05:02 PM

Writing a new input method (like the one you want) for emacs might not be too hard.

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andrew_c
 October 02, 2008 at 02:01 PM

The follwoing web-based IME provides interactive translations as you type: http://www.xuezhongwen.net/chindict/webime2.php?ime=mand_eng_simp

If you find something like this directly built into the Ubuntu desktop, please do share.