Character information

The opening of a character entry, headed «Character [character]», is the cornerstone of the page. It begins the essential information for identifying and understanding the character (汉字, ханьцзы): its readings in Mandarin (普通话, путунхуа) in various transliteration systems and buttons to play audio recordings. For Russian-speaking students continuing Chinese studies, this section is the starting point shaping how they perceive and use the character.

Another element is an automatically generated image of the character.

Palladius

The Palladius system, named after Archimandrite Palladius (secular name K. I. Kafarov, 1817–1878), was developed for Russian speakers in the nineteenth century. Working at the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing, Palladius systematized the transcription published in 1888 in the «Chinese-Russian Dictionary». For example, 山 (Pinyin: shān) is written «шань», and 水 (Pinyin: shuǐ) — «шуй». The modern system differs from the original: Palladius sometimes used hyphens (e.g. «Пе-кин» for 北京), whereas today the name is written as one word («Бэйцзин»). This simplification reflects adaptation to Russian phonetics, avoiding Latin conventions such as «sh» or «zh» (中, чжун, «middle»). For Russian speakers, Palladius is a natural, intuitive first step toward pronunciation, making it the dictionary’s priority. More...

Pinyin

Pinyin (拼音), adopted in the PRC in 1958, uses Latin letters with tone diacritics: 山—shān (first tone), 水—shuǐ (third tone). Developed by Zhou Youguang (周有光, Zhou Youguang), it became an international standard for teaching and digital input. Omitting Tongyong Pinyin (通用拼音), adopted in Taiwan (shān as san), limits coverage, though this matters mainly to Orientalists studying differences between the PRC and Taiwan, where characters such as 國 (го, «country») use traditional forms (繁体字, фаньти цзы). Pinyin is important to students as a global standard, but sounds such as that represented by «q» (曲, цюй, «melody»).

Zhuyin

Zhuyin (注音符號, чжуинь фухао), introduced in the Republic of China in 1918, uses 37 character-based symbols: 山—ㄕㄢ, 水—ㄕㄨㄟˇ. Its use in mainland China disappeared by the end of the twentieth century, while in Taiwan it helps children learn pronunciation before characters. For Russian-speaking students, unfamiliar symbols make Zhuyin less intuitive (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ, «бо по мо фо»), but useful for studying Taiwanese materials. Its inclusion reflects the aim of completeness, although it is less widespread than Palladius and Pinyin.

Audio

A significant aid for recent beginners is the site’s character-audio feature, which plays a recording in the browser of a female voice reading the character in standard pronunciation (Mandarin).

Russian meaning

The Russian meaning is paramount for the Russian-speaking audience. For example, 山 translates as «гора» (mountain) and 水 as «вода» (water): not merely translations, but foundations for memorization and use in context.

English meaning

The English meaning follows the Russian, supplementing it for English-speaking students and Orientalists using international sources: 山—mountain, 水—water. Differences from Russian sometimes stand out: for 愛 (ай) the Russian «любовь» is more precise than English “love”, which is semantically broader. English meanings make the dictionary more universal and help learners grasp characters’ polysemy by studying nuances in a third language.