How to Use Wenlin

Wenlin has many capabilities.  To open it, click on Start, Programs, Chinese, Wenlin.

You can use Wenlin to:

  • Type in Chinese (both traditional and simplified), and print,
  • View the English translation of Chinese characters and vice versa using Instant Lookup
  • View additional information about characters
  • Draw an unfamiliar character using the handwriting recognition feature,
  • Hear the characters pronounced in either a man's and a woman's voice,
  • Import files into Wenlin to perform the above functions.

    • Typing in Chinese

    1. Click on File, New.
    2. Go to Options, and either check or uncheck Simple form characters.  (This is for simplified or traditional characters.)  If you would like to enter pinyin with tones, check typing 1-4 adds tone marks.  Make sure that Slash key convert (/) is checked.
    3. Type a character or a phrase in pinyin.  Do not put punctuation or spaces yet.  To convert the pinyin to characters, press the forward slash key (/).  When you press the slash key, a black bar with white characters should appear under the Menu (File, Edit, View...).  The character that is highlighted is the one that Wenlin will replace your pinyin with.  Use the left and right arrow keys to navigate through the list of characters.  When you have made your selection, either press the slash key or enter.
    4. The slash key convert feature converts only the last continuous stream of pinyin, without spaces or punctuations inside.  If you type an entire sentence in pinyin, it will convert one unit (either a character or a phrase) at a time.  it may be faster to type in all the pinyin at once, but do be aware that sometimes two unrelated pinyin syllables next to each other may be read by Wenlin as a phrase, and converted as such.
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    Viewing the English translations of Chinese Characters

    1. In Wenlin, there is a vertical menubar either on the left or the right side of the window.  The first button is the hand tool.
    2. If this is selected, then whenever your cursor passes over a Chinese character or phrase, a bar on the bottom of the window will automatically show the character's pinyin and English equivalent.  If your cursor passes over an English word, it will give you the Chinese equivalent and it's pinyin.
    3. If you click on an English word, it's entry in the dictionary is displayed in a new window. If you click on a Chinese character, a new window with much more detail appears.
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    Viewing Additional Information About Characters

    1. If you use the hand tool and click on any character, it will pull up another window, with more details about it.
    2. Features include the stroke order, a list of other characters with the character as a component, and phrases (words) which use the character. Click on the triangle next to the information you would like to see. A new window will pop up.
    3. To see the stroke order in the stroke order window, click on All Strokes. You can adjust the speed of the strokes on the scale above it. You can also go forwards and backwards in the stroke order.
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    Using the Handwriting Recognition Feature

    1. Click on the Calligraphy Brush icon. A small box will appear, and your cursor will become a brush.
    2. Use your cursor brush to write the character that you would like to look up. Be sure to use the correct stroke order when writing. Click on OK, or clear to start over again.
    3. The character's entry in the dictionary is displayed.
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    Hearing the Characters Pronounced

    1. The icon underneath the Calligraphy Brush is the character ko3, meaning mouth. When you click on it, your cursor becomes that character.
    2. Now use that cursor to click on any characters on the page. You will hear all the pronunciations of that character. Note that the Instant Lookup feature is still on.
    3. To change from a male to a female voice, and vice versa, click on the character underneath the toolbar. It either displays nan2, or nu3, depending on which voice you are listening to.
    4. If you drag the cursor, highlighting more than on character, it will speak each character's pronunciations consecutively.
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    Importing Files into Wenlin

    1. You can open up Chinese files typed using other programs using Wenlin, if you know which Chinese format the files were typed in. This is especially helpful if there is a webpage or document you would like assistance in reading.
    2. To do so, click on File, then Open. Browse until you find the file that you would like to open up. If the page is a webpage off the internet, you need to save the page on your computer as a local file to be able to find it. If you open up a webpage this way, all the html tags will appear as well. Click Open.
    3. A window will pop up, asking you which format the file is in. If you are reading traditional characters, it is most likely in Big5 format. If you are reading simplified character,s it is most likely in GB format. The same is true for webpages. (A small sample of the file appears underneath each choice.) Click on the triangle for the correct format.
    4. The file will open using the format you choose. If this does not work, then try again, choosing a different format.
    5. For webpages, it may be easier to select the text while viewing the page in your browser, right-clicking it, and copying it. Then paste it into a new file in Wenlin. To open a new file, click File, New.

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    page created Apr.  28, 1999/last revised Jan. 18, 2000