Writing 'Serenity' (Mac)

POSTED BY: jondesu
UPDATED: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 12:31
VIEWED: 6293
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JONDESU

Thursday, November 23, 2006 4:13 AM

Ok, I looked and I hope this hasn't been asked too many times, but I want to be able to write the Chinese characters for Serenity on my computer (running OS X). I have the Chinese keyboard layout accessible and plenty of Chinese fonts, but I can't figure out how to write it. I tried typing in the ping2jing4 and ning2jing4 pinyin I've seen, but it comes up with the wrong characters. How would I actually type these in on my computer?

jW

"Yep, that went well."

FFYING2

Monday, November 27, 2006 4:42 AM

Because there are often several possibilities for a character with a certain pronunciation, you have to choose the characters for the word that you mean. With my Windows Chinese IME (input method editor), I type in the pinyin then hit ENTER then RIGHT ARROW to get choices of other characters. But with my Japanese IME, I hit SPACEBAR twice at the choice stage. Then I click on the character or enter the option number for it. Then hit ENTER.

Hope that helps.　

Ying

Firefly-Serenity Funsite http://fireflyfunsite.kevinsullivansite.net
Firefly-Serenity Chinese Pinyinary http://fireflychinese.kevinsullivansite.net
Browncoats.com http://www.browncoats.com

Language and Humor Blog http://languageandhumor.net/blog

JONDESU

Monday, November 27, 2006 5:48 AM

Yeah, I tried that (I write Japanese fairly well, as long as I know the words), but it didn't come up with those symbols. I get a long list, but the proper ones aren't on it.

jW

"Yep, that went well."

FFYING2

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 1:15 AM

Hmm. 不思議だな。Fushigi da na.

Well, I think there are only three possibilities.

1. You're getting Chinese Traditional (平靜, 寧靜) instead of Chinese Simplified (平静, 宁静).

2. There's something very wrong with your Chinese input editor.

3. It's some Alliance trick.

Good luck.

Ying

JONDESU

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 2:32 AM

Hmm, the first is possible, I need to double check that. My characters didn't show up on the page when I tried writing them in here at all, btw, just ??. Checking my Chinese input settings: it was on Traditional Chinese because I don't have Pinyin listed under simplified. I have ITABC, I have Wubi Xing, and I have Wubi Hua. If I choose Wubi Xing, as soon as I finish typing in a character (ning, for example), it just disappears, with no symbol replacing it. Wubi Hua simply doesn't allow me to type letters at all, only numbers.

So maybe something is wrong with my input system.

EDIT: Do you know the Japanese pronunciation of the same characters? My Japanese typing is fine, and I think the symbols are used in Japanese too, I just don't know how to say it.

jW

"Yep, that went well."

FFYING2

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 5:48 AM

Ah, the trilingual workaround. Been there myself.
:)

平静 ping2jing4 is easy because Japanese has borrowed the word and uses the same simplified characters, pronounced 平静な　HEISEI na. In kunyomi, 平たい　hira(tai) + 静かな shizu(ka) na.

宁静 ning2jing4 doesn't seem to be used in Japanese and the traditional form of ning2/NEI　is used. You'd know the NEI [ 寧ろ mushi(ro) in kunyomi ] from 丁寧 TEINEI + the 静かな shizu(ka) na again.

However, there's a non-jouyou kanji with the same form as the simplified 宁 ning2, pronounced CHO (Mandarin zhu4), with the meaning of the shell-radical + CHO kanji of 貯えるtakuwa(eru) (to save, store) as well as the person-radical + CHO kanji of 佇む tatazu(mu) (to stand still). My Japanese IME doesn't have it, but maybe you can get it.

Ying

JONDESU

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 12:31 PM

Cool, the first seems to work just fine, although the second doesn't. For now, I've just copied the symbols you've posted above for the purposes I need it for, but it'll be nice to be able to type it myself, and also simply to know that word in Japanese (I haven't been able to take a class or sit down and study a lot, but I'm trying to learn).

jW

"Yep, that went well."