pinyin

[ pin-yin ]

/ ˈpɪnˈyɪn /

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noun (sometimes initial capital letter)

a system for transliterating Chinese into the Latin alphabet: introduced in 1958 and adopted as the official system of romanization by the People's Republic of China in 1979.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Compare Wade-Giles system.

Origin of pinyin

First recorded in 1960–65; Chinese (Mandarin) pīnyīn literally “phonetic spelling,” equivalent to pīn “arrange, classify” + yīn “sound, pronunciation”

Words nearby pinyin

pinx., pinxit, pinxter flower, Pinxy, piny, pinyin, pinyon, pinyon jay, Pinza, Pinzón, PIO

British Dictionary definitions for pinyin

Pinyin

/ (ˈpɪnˈjɪn) /

noun

a system of romanized spelling developed in China in 1958: used to transliterate Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012