Tomorrow, February 7, 2024, Mark O’Neill will give an online talk on “The Father of China’s Pinyin System: Zhou Youguang.” David Moser will moderate. The talk is sponsored by the Royal Asiatic Society, Beijing. General admission is 100 RMB. Details. … Continue reading
Yesterday (January 13, 2018), Google marked the 112th birthday of Zhou Youguang, the father of Hanyu Pinyin, with one of its doodles. (Click the image to see the animated version.) Google’s description didn’t note Zhou’s remarkable longevity. He lived to … Continue reading
Zhou Youguang, who is often called the “father of Hanyu Pinyin,” died earlier today. He lived to the age of 111. He was “the man God forgot,” he liked to joke. And he did like to laugh. His sense of … Continue reading
I’d like to share a note that Zhou Youguang, the father of Pinyin, very generously wrote to me last week. 感谢Mark Swofford 先生的拼音网站,把拼音用做学习 中文的工具.我祝贺Swofford 先生的工作获得成功! 语言使人有别于禽兽， 文字使文明别于野蛮， 教育使先进有别于落后。 周有光 2012-03-02 时年107岁 Gǎnxiè Mark Swofford xiānsheng de pīnyīn wǎngzhàn, bǎ pīnyīn … Continue reading
The New York Times has just published a profile of Zhou Youguang, who is often called “the father of Pinyin” (though he modestly prefers to stress that others worked with him): A Chinese Voice of Dissent That Took Its Time. … Continue reading
Louisa Lim had a story on National Public Radio yesterday about Zhou Youguang (周有光 / Zhōu Yǒuguāng), who’s often referred to as the father of Pinyin. Most stories in the mass media about him focus on just two things, which … Continue reading
I’m back from a great trip Beijing. Among the people I was able meet there is Zhōu Yǒuguāng (周有光), who is often referred to as the father of Hanyu Pinyin. I’m pleased to report that even though he is well … Continue reading
Roddy of Chinese Forums, Signese, Dreams of White Tiles, and even more sites, found a new video (4 min. 40 sec.) of Zhou Youguang speaking, in English, to a reporter from the Guardian. I was kind of surprised to see … Continue reading