Reading Chinese newspapers - learning about language use

[imron]

It could be done in C++, but that would be overkill. It would be significantly quicker to knock it up in python as python has better default text processing capabilities.

That said, anyone who knows C++ should be able to pick up the basics of python (sufficient to write such a script) in a couple of hours (that's about as long as it took me), and such a script would probably make for a decent first learning project.

Alternatively you could ask renzhe nicely for his

[renzhe]

Yes, just ask me and I'll send you the bloody thing

[Scoobyqueen]

Gawd here I was being so English about it (or Chinese for that matter) not wanting to ask directly. It would be fantastic if you would share your code. cheers!

[renzhe]

1) Download and install Python from here

2) Download my attachment and unpack it into an empty folder

3) Download CC-CEDICT and unpack it into the same folder.

4) Create a unicode text file with vocabulary items where each Chinese words is on a new line

4) From a command prompt, run: python lookup-words.py name-of-your-file.txt

The file with the pinyin and definitions will be saved as output.txt . you'll have to lookup the missing entries in a different dictionary, CC-CEDICT is not perfect.

Very simple, but works great, especially if you're going through large vocabulary lists, like I am.

lookup-words.zip

[Meng Lelan]

Bumping this up. I need recommendations for letter to the editors and opinion columns in online newspapers? Especially for Beijing or Shanghai. Something like readers' opinions on current events in China.

[imron]

新京报 used to have a nice letters page, but then they changed their format and moved it about. Then they updated their site again and removed it entirely, replacing it with a blog, which occasionally has a 来信 topic with a number of letters in it. The actual blog posts also contain letterish posts.

Interestingly, they've called their blog a 日志 rather than a 博客, which is closer to the English meaning of a "web log". Personally I've never really liked the word 博客.

[Meng Lelan]

You know what, now I remember that letters page. It was really really good.