Chinese Cheatsheet

The following is an excerpt from "Reform of the Chinese written language", Foreign Languages Press, Peking 1958.

Scheme for a Chinese phonetic alphabet

• In annotating the Chinese characters, the letters zh, ch and sh may be simplified as ẑ, ĉ and ŝ.


• Note 1. Seven categories of syllables as represented by the characters 知、蚩、詩、日、資、雌 and 思 take i as their vowel. They are spelt as zhi, chi, shi, ri, zi, ci and si respectively.


• Note 2. The sound êrh is spelt er. As a final, it is represented by r. Thus: ertong (兒童 children), huar (花兒 flower).


• Note 3. When used alone, the vowel e is spelt as ê.


• Note 4. Y is used as a semi-vowel in syllables beginning with i when not preceded by consonants. This: yi (衣), ya (呀), ye (耶), yao (腰), you (憂), yan (烟), yang (央), ying (英), yong (雍).
    W is used as a semi-vowel in syllables beginning with u when not preceded by consonants. Thus: wu (烏), wa (蛙), wo (窩), wai (歪), wei (威), wan (弯), wen (温), wang (汪), weng (翁).
    Y is used as a semi-vowel in syllables beginning with ü when not preeded by consonants. In this case the two dots above u are omitted. Thus: yu (迀), yue (約), yuan (寃), yun　(暈).
    In syllables beginning with the consonants j, q and x, the two dots above u are also omitted. Thus: ju (居), qu (区) and xu (虚). But in syllables beginning with the consonants n or l the two dots must be retained. Thus: nü (女), lü (呂).


• Note 5. When preceded by consonants, iou, uei and uen are spelt as iu, ui and un. Thus: niu (牛), gui (旧), lun (論).


• Note 6. In annotating the Chinese characters, the letters ng can be simplified as ŋ.