Wubi code lookup?

[Ardil]

I'm trying to learn how to type with Wubi, but since not all radicals are on the keyboard, I have to figure out how to type the radicals from those components alone, and I'm having a hard time doing that. For example, it took me a long time to discover how to write 身. (now I know the code is TMDT)

So maybe a dictionary containing the code for each character might be too much (I couldn't find any such dictionary on the Internet), but even a table with the code for each radical would be highly helpful.

[imron]

Wubi isn't about radicals, it's about shapes (Wubi calls them roots - 字根), which may or may not correspond to a given radical. So, everything is there, it's just that sometimes you have to really use your imagination

The software I used for learning Wubi （五笔快打）has a tool for looking up the wubi code of any character. Unfortunately it seems the company's website http://www.shunsoftware.com is no longer working (at least for me). If you do a search for 五笔快打 you'll find a number of places that offer the trial version for download, however with the official website down, you might not be able to register the product.

Another alternative is to find a 'mixed' pinyin and wubi IME. These will commonly let you type either pinyin or wubi, but will then show the wubi in brackets for words you typed in pinyin. If you have a Mac, I recently started using WBIM which I'm liking quite a lot. Under Windows I use 极点五笔, which also has this functionality.

I would also recommend that you use a specialised software program like 五笔快打 for practising, otherwise trying to learn Wubi will be a real pain. Another good one is Kingsoft's Typeeasy (windows only).

[zhwj]

In a pinch, you could try Kingsoft's iciba dictionary. Both the online and standalone versions give wubi codes for all entries.

Edit: I notice that the 极点五笔 site offers a 念青词库 for download. I've been using 念青五笔 for years -- are the two related?

[imron]

I'm guessing they're not related. Assuming I'm looking at the right one, that 念青词库 is for the 98 version of 五笔, so I'd say that 极点五笔 only has the 86 mappings by default so if you want the 98 mappings you'd need to install that one. Out of curiosity, do you use 98 or 86?

[edelweis]

@ardil:

a free downloadable file with wubi character codes would be a linux IME input file such as this one:

http://src.gnu-darwin.org/ports/chinese/chinput3/work/chinput-3.0.2.5/src/unicon-im/ImmModules/turbo/gb/WuBi.cin

(there may be other versions, google wubi+cin)

So you can lookup the wubi code for a(n already typed) character in such a file.

(However, even if a character is also a radical, there is no guarantee that the wubi code for this character will be helpful when typing a complex character with this radical...)

If you're in China you can also buy little books with all characters ordered by pinyin, showing the wubi codes (which isn't all that helpful when you don't know the pinyin for that character heh).

When I am really stuck with a character I can't read and can't deduce the wubi code for, and which I can't copy/paste (such as a character in a book, or in a photo), I draw it in an online handwriting recognition tool such as the one at yellowbridge (click on the little brush). But in that case you can just look it up in the yellowbridge dictionary which gives wubi codes as well. (drawbacks: not downloadable, restricted to 4000 most frequent characters, ads).

But, I think I remember reading about an IME which showed wubi codes when typing pinyin? anyone remember about it? (not for linux I believe, so I don't use it)

[imron]

But, I think I remember reading about an IME which showed wubi codes when typing pinyin? anyone remember about it?

Yep. As mentioned in my post above

[edelweis]

ah yes. Skimmed too fast :rolleyes:

[c6ray]

I found this flashcard list helpful, although it had ukqb instead of wkqb for 兌. The 2500 most common Chinese characters (simplified) .

This dictionary has wubi codes. http://zdic.net/ .

[imron]

Wubi is based on simplified chinese, and that character is usually written as 兑, so ukqb makes perfect sense.

[Altair]

This site also allows you to learn online if you can read enough Chinese or have enough patience to figure it out. Basically, it has you study the character roots on the picture of the keyboard and then type a series of characters that appear in the top center blue box. It starts you off with the character roots and then cycles through the other Wubi methods of creating character codes as you click on the other blue boxes in the following order, printed at the bottom of the page: 字根练习 → 一级简码 → 二级简码 → 键名汉字 → 键面汉字 → 全码练习 → 词组练习. The long central blue box tells you whether or not you typed the right code. Unfortunately, there is no way to ask for a code you cannot figure out, and you may occasionally have to simply go through all 25 possibilities to see which one takes.

[Matty]

For 五笔快打 you could always do a whois of shunsoftware.com and find out that the owner (Li Shun) has an email newlinks -at- 160+3 -dot- com

or maybe even try the phone number.

[Altair]

I agree with what imron has said in the past, which is that learning Wubi requires practice. Having said that, my learning method favors clear rules. This site lays out all the rules in Chinese, and I wish I had seen this before beginning. Some of the rules I wish I had known are:

④ 能连不交：请看以下拆分实例：

于：一 十 （二者是相连的） 二 丨 （二者是相交的）

丑：乙 土 （二者是相连的） 刀 二 （二者是相交的）

当一个字既可拆成相连的几个部分，也可拆成相交的几个部分时，我们认为“相连”的拆法是正确的。因为一般来说，“连”比“交”更为“直观”。

② 关于“末笔”的几项说明：

　　 A、 关于“力、刀、九、匕”。鉴于这些字根的笔顺常常因人而异，“五笔字型”中特别规定，当它们参加“识别”时，一律以其“伸”得最长的“折”笔作为末笔。

如： 男：田 力  （末笔为“乙”，２型）

花：艹 亻 匕  （末笔为“乙”，２型）

　　 B、 带“框框”的“国、团”与带走之的“进、远、延”等，因为是一个部分被另一个部分包围，我们规定：视被包围部分的“末笔”为“末笔”。

如： 进：二刂 辶 （末笔“丨”3型，加“”作为“识别码”）

远：二儿 辶巛 （末笔“乙”3型，加“巛”作为“识别码”）

团：囗十丿 彡 （末笔“丿”３型，加“彡”作为“识别码”）

哉：十戈 口 三（末笔“一”３型，加“三”作为“识别码”）

　C、“我”“戋”“成”等字的“末笔”，由于因人而异，故遵从“从上到下”的原则，一律规定撇“丿”为其末笔。

如： 我：丿 扌 乙 丿（TRNT，取一二三末，只取4码）

戋：戋 一 一 丿（GGGT，成字根，先“报户口”再取1、2、末笔）

成：厂 乙 乙 丿（DNNT，取一二三末，只取4码）

　　 D、 单独点：对于“义、太、勺”等字中的“单独点”，离字根的距离很难确定，可远可近，我们干脆认为这种“单独点”与其附近的字根是“相连”的。既然“连”在一起，便属于杂合型（３型）。其中“义”的笔顺，还需按上述“从上到下”的原则，认为是“先点后撇”。

如： 义：丶  氵（末笔为“丶”３型，“氵”即为识别码）

太：大 丶 氵（末笔为“丶”３型，“氵”即为识别码）

勺：勹 丶 氵（末笔为“丶”３型，“氵”即为识别码）