Edit Cangjie Input Method
Here, we would not talk too much about what is Cangjie, at least for now, because a lot of sites have been talking about this for a long time. We are just interested in telling the best teaching Cangjie Input method in our town. The teaching of this instructor is vivid and you won't feel boring. If you can take his four preliminary classes, which is free, you can have good understanding the Cangjie. Of course, you must pay him afterwards if you are interested for further deep studying how you can type fast and improve your typing skill. Unfortunately, he is teaching Cangjie in Chinese. The good news is he is planning to teach Cangjie in English.
Check out this site if you are interested:
Keith Tsoi Chinese Computer Centre 蔡劍南中文電腦中心 Chinese typing needs to decompose the Chinese characters into predefined basic radicals or with the supplementary forms, and they are alike English alphabets,
CangJie Alphabets and Supplementary Forms Table, and which match to the English alphabets in order to use the English keyboard. Because of the twenty five basic radicals cannot cover all of the variant of the Chinese characters, the transformed forms or supplementary forms are used to associate with these radicals to increase the efficency of typing. There are basic decomposition rules, which must be fully comprehended in order to correctly decompose with these basic radical units.
In Cangjie Input Method, the main focus of code decomposition is the speed of input or how fast you can type. The following grouping of Chinese characters is just for understanding how the ways of decomposing them and giving some idea of how big the area of Chinese characters that is covering. They also give whoever is learning Cangjie Input method some idea about the Chinese words characteristic.
Grouping of Chinese Characters:
- A Group: Take it all three, for those words can be decomposed with 3 radicals or less is - about 25%
- B Group: Two-three code taking, for those section body can be decomposed with 3 radicals or less is - about 50%
- C Group: 1e 12e, for those section body can be decomposed with 4 or more radicals is about - 20%
- D Group: 1e 1ee, for those second section head can be decomposed with 3 or more radicals is about - 5%
Note: Group A, B, and C are also called as "standard words".
Edit1 Principles of Word Decomposition
- 1.1 Conciseness - When a word has many decomposition codes, conciseness or less code is correct.
- 1.2 Complexity before Conciseness - During the process of decomposing a word, two method has the same number of code taking, take the complex one or more stroke first and then following the one with simpler shape or form.
- 1.3 Radical Characteristic Shape - When a word has couple ways of taking it apart; besides the concisenes, keep the most of the form of the shape or the characteristic of the radical, which are predefined in CangJie Radicals and Supplementary Forms Table. Also, the shape of the character should not be cut at a corner in the form.
- 1.1 精簡原則 - 當一個字有多種拆碼方法時，以【最精簡】(最少碼)為正確。
- 1.2 先繁後簡 - 在拆字的時候，如果2種方法有相同的拆碼數目，便得運用【先繁後簡】，先拆出較【繁】的碼、，剩下較【簡】的碼。
- 1.3 字形特徵 - 當一個字有多種拆碼方法時，除精簡原則外，保留最多字刑特徵也不能忽略。
Edit1.1 Conciseness 精簡原則
Example will be given.
Edit1.2 Complexity before Conciseness 先繁後簡
Example will be given.
Edit1.3 Radical Characteristic Shape 字形特徵
Example will be given.
Edit2 Word Decomposition Rules
Edit2.1 A Rule of Thumb
Section head, Section body <=> ≤2, ≤3Whenever taking apart a word, the section head (字首) would not be taken more than two radicals, and the section body (字身) would not be taken more than three radicals. All of the following
Decompsoition Rules would base on this basic rule of thumb.
Edit2.2 Decomposition Rules 折字規則
- Direction of Decomposition - which is from the Left to the Right, from the Top to the bottom, and from the Outside to the inside of the character. Please see Chinese Character Anatomy to get an idea of what it is.
- Take all three 三碼全取- If the decomposition of whole word is less than or equal to three radicals, take one to all three decomposed codes (radicals).
- Two-three code taking - the section head is taken one or two radicals that is first and the last radical or 1e, and the body is taken one to three radicals without making any choice. In other words, the first part of the character or the section head of the character can't take more than two radicals and the body of the character can't take more than three radicals in decomposing process.
- 1e 12e - In all situation, when a section body of the word has more than three coding parts or four radicals, two-three code taking is not possible. Then, take first(1), and second(2) radical plus the last(e) radical of the section body.
- 1e 1ee - If the section body can be taking apart further into second section head and second section body, the second section head has more than two radicals (≥ 3, equal to or greater than three radicals), take first and the last radical of the second section head and the last radical of the section body (or technically, that is the second section body).
Examples will be provided later.
Edit2.3 Enclosure and Replacement 包含替代
The speed is one of the characteristic of CangJie input method. The enclosure and replacement mainly consider the Chinese word characteristic and the custom of code taking; therefore, the implementation of this can greatly increase the efficency of input.
- When the last radical of the section head or the section body is enclosed in three or four directions, the last radical will be replaced or omitted.
- however, the radical has a part stretched out will not be replaced.
- if there is no radical to replace or enclosure, the last radical will not be omitted.
Replacement ConditionOne of main conditions of implementing "Enclosure and replacement" is the radical that is going to be replaced must have other radical to replace; otherwise, using the usual code-taking method will be good enough.
Check out the
examples and explanations.
Edit2.4 Exceptional Words 例外字
For those don't follow the CangJie decomposing rules, they are categorized as exceptional words. They are "Compound words", "Difficult words", and "Special words".
In order to increase the efficency of input and avoid the duplication of coding because of the big variety of Chinese characters, here are the three special tables for you to memorize or practise.
- 9 Compound Words ｢組合字9｣
- Difficult Words ｢難字｣
- 6 Special Words ｢特殊字｣