Pinyin

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Pinyin

Pinyin [Chin. pinyin zimu = phonetic alphabet], system of romanization of Chinese written characters, approved in 1958 by the government of the People's Republic of China and officially adopted by it in 1979. Its use replaces that of the more complex Wade-Giles system (1859; modified 1912), among others. The reasons for adopting Pinyin included promoting a national language, establishing a means for writing non-Chinese (minority) languages in China, and encouraging foreigners to learn Chinese. Pinyin is not used officially in Taiwan.

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Pinyin

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Â© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Pinyin System of spelling used to transliterate ideographic Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet. It is a phonetic system (it represents the sounds of words) and was officially adopted by the People's Republic of China in 1958.

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The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Â© The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable 2006, originally published by Oxford University Press 2006. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Pinyin the standard system of romanized spelling for transliterating Chinese, which superseded the earlier Wade–Giles system. Recorded from the 1960s, the term comes from Chinese pīn-yīn, literally ‘spell-sound’.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Pinyin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 30 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Pinyin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (November 30, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Pinyin.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Pinyin." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Retrieved November 30, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Pinyin.html

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