Very useful in the days when you couldn’t easily type characters or tone diacritics, so you’ll see people using Gwoyeu Romatzyh sometimes in 90s-era writing, but these days it mostly survives in diaspora surname spellings.
October 6, 2026 at 1:34 AM
Very useful in the days when you couldn’t easily type characters or tone diacritics, so you’ll see people using Gwoyeu Romatzyh sometimes in 90s-era writing, but these days it mostly survives in diaspora surname spellings.
Came here to say the same thing! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwoyeu_...
Gwoyeu Romatzyh - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
October 6, 2026 at 12:17 AM
Came here to say the same thing! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwoyeu_...
Looks like weird Gwoyeu Romatzyh, where I think this would usually be horng
October 6, 2026 at 12:11 AM
Looks like weird Gwoyeu Romatzyh, where I think this would usually be horng
Oh this takes me back, though I had the misfortune to be assigned the “Chinese Primer” for intro Chinese. Which would have been fine, except I managed to pick up the single used Gwoyeu Romatzyh copy at the bookstore. Everyone else was using Pinyin and I NO IDEA what was happening.
September 25, 2026 at 10:47 PM
Oh this takes me back, though I had the misfortune to be assigned the “Chinese Primer” for intro Chinese. Which would have been fine, except I managed to pick up the single used Gwoyeu Romatzyh copy at the bookstore. Everyone else was using Pinyin and I NO IDEA what was happening.
Gwoyeu Romatzyh and Latinxua Sinwenz look ugly as sin lol, am I glad I live in a world where Hanzi didn't get abolished
August 26, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Gwoyeu Romatzyh and Latinxua Sinwenz look ugly as sin lol, am I glad I live in a world where Hanzi didn't get abolished
What about Goangjou and Beeijing? (in gwoyeu romatzyh because it's fun)
June 26, 2026 at 10:06 AM
What about Goangjou and Beeijing? (in gwoyeu romatzyh because it's fun)
> supports using Hanyu Pinyin
> look inside
> name is in Gwoyeu Romatzyh
> look inside
> name is in Gwoyeu Romatzyh
June 6, 2026 at 6:45 PM
> supports using Hanyu Pinyin
> look inside
> name is in Gwoyeu Romatzyh
> look inside
> name is in Gwoyeu Romatzyh
Did not expect there to be a chapter on midcentury attempts to globalize English (to do neoimperialism). These attempts to standardize/simplify English remind me of Yuen Ren Chao's Gwoyeu Romatzyh and PRC's character simplification.
April 23, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Did not expect there to be a chapter on midcentury attempts to globalize English (to do neoimperialism). These attempts to standardize/simplify English remind me of Yuen Ren Chao's Gwoyeu Romatzyh and PRC's character simplification.
exactly, if it was consistently Wade-Giles or whatever I could remember, that there are people out there randomly using Gwoyeu Romatzyh etc is what gets me.
April 17, 2026 at 1:24 PM
exactly, if it was consistently Wade-Giles or whatever I could remember, that there are people out there randomly using Gwoyeu Romatzyh etc is what gets me.
Gwoyeu Romatzyh supremacy (note: I do not speak any Chinese, just a distant admirer)
February 10, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Gwoyeu Romatzyh supremacy (note: I do not speak any Chinese, just a distant admirer)
The specific choice of "Shaan" is apparently from Gwoyeu Romatzyh, an absolutely bonkers (Mandarin) Chinese transliteration system that attempted to represent the tones by (English-inspired) alternate spellings of vowels (and sometimes consonants). For all the faults of Pinyin at least it's not that
January 2, 2026 at 11:57 PM
The specific choice of "Shaan" is apparently from Gwoyeu Romatzyh, an absolutely bonkers (Mandarin) Chinese transliteration system that attempted to represent the tones by (English-inspired) alternate spellings of vowels (and sometimes consonants). For all the faults of Pinyin at least it's not that
It could have been worse. Gwoyeu Romatzyh almost caught on for a while
December 5, 2025 at 6:12 PM
It could have been worse. Gwoyeu Romatzyh almost caught on for a while
#OTD 134 years ago, Yuen Ren Chao (1892-1982) was born 🎉 He was an expert on Chinese grammar and phonology and the author of the Gwoyeu Romatzyh, a Latinised spelling system for Standard Chinese. He served as the president of the Linguistic Society of America in 1945.
#LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx
#LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx
November 3, 2025 at 9:02 AM
#OTD 134 years ago, Yuen Ren Chao (1892-1982) was born 🎉 He was an expert on Chinese grammar and phonology and the author of the Gwoyeu Romatzyh, a Latinised spelling system for Standard Chinese. He served as the president of the Linguistic Society of America in 1945.
#LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx
#LinguisticBirthdays #Histlx
At first I was like "surely gwoyeu romatzyh should be chaotic evil" but after looking up the systems I was unfamiliar with now I'm not so sure
October 31, 2025 at 8:33 AM
At first I was like "surely gwoyeu romatzyh should be chaotic evil" but after looking up the systems I was unfamiliar with now I'm not so sure
🤯 "Shaanxi" with two 'a's isn't a typo! I always wondered why!
🏛️ Officials confirm it's standard, stemming from Gwoyeu Romatzyh. Third-tone "陝" (Shǎn) repeats its main vowel.
💡 This brilliant fix prevents international confusion with "Shanxi". A small 'a', huge wisdom in cultural distinction & co
🏛️ Officials confirm it's standard, stemming from Gwoyeu Romatzyh. Third-tone "陝" (Shǎn) repeats its main vowel.
💡 This brilliant fix prevents international confusion with "Shanxi". A small 'a', huge wisdom in cultural distinction & co
陕西历史博物馆拼音为什么多个a?工作人员回应：标准拼写 - cnBeta.COM 移动版
近日，陕西历史博物馆的标示牌上“陕西”拼写“Shaanxi”，比正常拼音多个“a”引发网友疑问。不仅如此，在一些地铁的站名上，也是这样标注拼写的。
m.cnbeta.com.tw
September 3, 2025 at 8:27 AM
🤯 "Shaanxi" with two 'a's isn't a typo! I always wondered why!
🏛️ Officials confirm it's standard, stemming from Gwoyeu Romatzyh. Third-tone "陝" (Shǎn) repeats its main vowel.
💡 This brilliant fix prevents international confusion with "Shanxi". A small 'a', huge wisdom in cultural distinction & co
🏛️ Officials confirm it's standard, stemming from Gwoyeu Romatzyh. Third-tone "陝" (Shǎn) repeats its main vowel.
💡 This brilliant fix prevents international confusion with "Shanxi". A small 'a', huge wisdom in cultural distinction & co
6/ The preface notes that, at the time of writing in 1961, there are three systems of standard Chinese romanization in use: Wade (aka Wade-Giles), Inland Mission, and National Language (aka Gwoyeu Romatzyh). Hanyu Pinyin is of course not mentioned, since this is an ROC government publication.
July 24, 2025 at 5:21 AM
6/ The preface notes that, at the time of writing in 1961, there are three systems of standard Chinese romanization in use: Wade (aka Wade-Giles), Inland Mission, and National Language (aka Gwoyeu Romatzyh). Hanyu Pinyin is of course not mentioned, since this is an ROC government publication.
For example: 漢語 / 汉语 (Hannyeu yes i'm using gwoyeu romatzyh here fight me) → ㄏㄢ̀⽔ㄩ̌⾔
Or: 中國 / 中国 (Jonggwo) → ㄓㄨㄥ̄中ㄍㄨㄛ́⼞
(westerner! take cover! 𓀄)
Or: 中國 / 中国 (Jonggwo) → ㄓㄨㄥ̄中ㄍㄨㄛ́⼞
(westerner! take cover! 𓀄)
July 15, 2025 at 5:18 PM
For example: 漢語 / 汉语 (Hannyeu yes i'm using gwoyeu romatzyh here fight me) → ㄏㄢ̀⽔ㄩ̌⾔
Or: 中國 / 中国 (Jonggwo) → ㄓㄨㄥ̄中ㄍㄨㄛ́⼞
(westerner! take cover! 𓀄)
Or: 中國 / 中国 (Jonggwo) → ㄓㄨㄥ̄中ㄍㄨㄛ́⼞
(westerner! take cover! 𓀄)
(Y.R. Chao also invented Gwoyeu Romatzyh 國語羅馬字, which still has adherents who claim that the tonal spelling helps learners. Seems like it would, but what little data there is says otherwise IIRC; Hanyu Pinyin is the only sensible option even if it’s not the best for learners)
June 19, 2025 at 2:55 PM
(Y.R. Chao also invented Gwoyeu Romatzyh 國語羅馬字, which still has adherents who claim that the tonal spelling helps learners. Seems like it would, but what little data there is says otherwise IIRC; Hanyu Pinyin is the only sensible option even if it’s not the best for learners)
become a gwoyeu romatzyh guy just for laughs
June 18, 2025 at 6:30 PM
become a gwoyeu romatzyh guy just for laughs
What a remarkable guy Lin Yutang was. Besides the dictionary that @yangyangcheng.bsky.social mentions here, he was also the originator of the idea of tonal spelling - varying the spelling of romanized syllables to indicate tone - which became central to the Gwoyeu Romatzyh system.
May 3, 2025 at 11:58 PM
What a remarkable guy Lin Yutang was. Besides the dictionary that @yangyangcheng.bsky.social mentions here, he was also the originator of the idea of tonal spelling - varying the spelling of romanized syllables to indicate tone - which became central to the Gwoyeu Romatzyh system.
Chao's translation of Through the Looking Glass which was published in 1969 as Vol. II of his "Readings in Sayable Chinese", with parallel Gwoyeu Romatzyh and hànzì versions, is a pale imitation of what the 1932 edition would have been. The Chinese typography is horrible, bopomofo replacements ugly.
April 29, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Chao's translation of Through the Looking Glass which was published in 1969 as Vol. II of his "Readings in Sayable Chinese", with parallel Gwoyeu Romatzyh and hànzì versions, is a pale imitation of what the 1932 edition would have been. The Chinese typography is horrible, bopomofo replacements ugly.
Oh, nice - this is a much clearer version than the other typeset images I've seen. I think you're right about it being from the Looking Glass translation -- I've only seen the Gwoyeu Romatzyh version in 'Sayable Chinese,' but the invented characters had to come from somewhere.
April 29, 2025 at 6:54 AM
Oh, nice - this is a much clearer version than the other typeset images I've seen. I think you're right about it being from the Looking Glass translation -- I've only seen the Gwoyeu Romatzyh version in 'Sayable Chinese,' but the invented characters had to come from somewhere.
Seal script and Gwoyeu Romatzyh are the only true vessels of Chinese culture, of course, despite the best efforts of the evil ChiComs.
April 27, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Seal script and Gwoyeu Romatzyh are the only true vessels of Chinese culture, of course, despite the best efforts of the evil ChiComs.
Btw I not taking any sides in the “is pinyin or gwoyeu romatzyh actually better” debate, my only opinion is that the latter looks cool and novel compared to the current consensus so i like it too
April 26, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Btw I not taking any sides in the “is pinyin or gwoyeu romatzyh actually better” debate, my only opinion is that the latter looks cool and novel compared to the current consensus so i like it too