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Table of contents

  • The context
  • Information about the input method
  • The questions

The context

I'm interested in learning how to use the Four-Corner Method. I've started making some graphics of the decomposition of some characters in my computer (please see image below). The font I use for the character is "Noto Serif CJK SC", this font didn't exist at the time of the creation of the input method.

enter image description here

As I was decomposing the characters I recalled that the font can influence the way a character is displayed (which assigned to a unique Unicode code). I thought that this was clearly influencing the way I was understanding the input method, so I wished I could see the font that the creator of the input method took into consideration when creating this input method. This way, I could understand the authentic input method.

For this reason, I'm looking for documents published by formal organizations or (if possible the creator himself) that introduce this input method so that I can see the font that was kept in mind when the input method was published. This was, I avoid using a font that display characters differently and that wasn't taken into consideration by the creator or editors of the input method.

Information about the input method

In the Wikipedia page of the Four-Corner method, it is mentioned that 王雲五 (Wang Yun-wu) created the input method in the 1920s while he was working for The Commercial Press and that the input method has gone through some changes. The Wikipedia page mentions 3 revisions of the input method in the "Versions" section.

The questions

  • Are there any documents available online authored by Wang Yun-wu that give a formal explanation to this input method?
  • If not, are there any published by the Commercial Press?
  • If not, are there any published by remarkable organizations?

Please don't redirect me to a tutorial X published by person Y on the Internet, unless it is published by a formal organization or a public institution or the person Y was influential in the creation or the revision of the input method.

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  • I remember seeing it in some really old version of Xiandai Hanyu Cidian or Xinhua Zidian.
    – alephalpha
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 6:56
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    I found a PDF version of Xinhua Zidian that contains 四角号码检字表: math.wvu.edu/~hlai2/My_Dictionary_CHN.pdf
    – alephalpha
    Commented Mar 16, 2023 at 6:59

1 Answer 1

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I tracked down a book written by Wang Yun-wu himself in 1967 and published by the Taiwan Commercial Press called 四角号码检字法 on Google Books, which even has a preview. Unfortunately, the preview, at least on my computer, is only 14 pages, but that should be enough.

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1
  • Thanks! That document is a treasure for me as I'm interested in the history of the development of Chinese input methods. I've asked a similar question but related to 五笔输入法: chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/54193 , it hasn't been answered yet. People knowledgeable on this topic or interested on this might know the answer so I'm sharing it here.
    – Rodrigo Morales
    Commented Jun 2, 2023 at 21:59

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