"Thank you very much for the new CD! The installation worked without problems. I love the program. It's has become my everyday companion for writing my PhD."
—Andreas




"Thanks for a great program; Clavis Sinica is really helping me keep my language skills up-to-date. I really appreciate the fact that it runs relatively painlessly on my Mac."
—Gene




"I have been using the program for about 5 months now and I have moved from knowing a little over 2,000 characters to consistently scoring 3,000 or more on your on-line character test. More importantly I have finally moved from reading intermediate texts to on-line news I find on the WWW. Your program has turned out to be an amazing aid. I am now a huge fan!"
—Brent Nelson


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Useful Links

Chinese Texts

The easiest way to obtain Chinese text files to read using Clavis Sinica is to copy them from the Internet. There are a vast number of web sites devoted to Chinese literature, culture, and current events where you can find Chinese text files. Once you find an interesting site, you can simply Copy and Paste a selection of Chinese text directly from the website into the Clavis Sinica text reader window. If you like, you can also download entire Chinese text files from the web and then open them using Clavis Sinica. Either way, the software enables you to read any Chinese text that you find on the Web with minimal use of a print dictionary. This list provides just a small sampling of what is currently available:

  • China News Digest - Full text of current and past issues of the popular Hua Xia Wen Zhai Chinese news magazine.
  • Chinese Classics - Full gb texts of a variety of Chinese classical texts in philosophy, poetry, biography, and fiction.
  • Chinese Netnews and E-magazine Sites - Links to online Chinese periodicals maintained by Marjorie Chan
  • Chinese Reading World - An impressive collection of 65 short texts for students at the beginning and intermediate levels. The beginning level texts are suitable for students who have learned 300-500 characters, while the intermediate level texts are for students who have learned 500-1000 characters. Audio recordings are provided for each text, so you can practice listening as well as reading comprehension.
  • Chinese Text Initiative - A constantly growing archive of Chinese literature texts sponsored by the University of Virginia. Also includes a helpful tutorial on reading Chinese text on the web.
  • Chinese Text Sampler - A collection of 75 carefully selected, culturally important texts including modern and classical Chinese literature, film scripts, popular songs, historical documents, children's stories, and lists of commonly used proverbs and idioms. A brief English introduction is provided for each text, and each text is graded according to its relative difficulty. All of the texts on this site can be easily downloaded for use with Clavis Sinica.
  • How to Read Chinese on the Net - A brief, straightforward explanation of how you can view Chinese characters on the web using your Netscape or Internet Explorer browser.
  • Lu Xun Homepage - Full texts and critical analyses of the best-known modern Chinese writer's works.
  • Sina.com.cn - A full-featured, general-interest Chinese internet portal for accessing up-to-date news, sports, discussion forums and chat, all in simplified Chinese characters.
  • Sources of Chinese Language Text Files - Links to a variety of news and literature documents.
  • Voice of America - World news in Chinese simplified characters.

Chinese Software

The following Chinese software tools are recommended as useful companions to Clavis Sinica:

  • Chinese Character Test - A free, web-based testing tool that allows you to determine how many Chinese characters you actually know. The test items are based on the Clavis Sinica dictionary, so you can use the test to measure the progress you've made building your reading skills using Clavis Sinica.
  • Chinese Flashcards - A free Java applet that enables you to drill yourself on your knowledge of the 800 most frequently used characters and the 189 radicals.
  • Chinese Radical Exam - A well-designed tutorial program that offers a variety of flashcard and mini-quiz exercises to help you memorize the forms, names, and meanings of the 150 most commonly used Chinese radicals.
  • NJStar Chinese Word Processor - A full-featured but user-friendly Chinese word processor. You can use NJStar to create or modify Chinese text files for use with Clavis Sinica.
  • Dan Ching Chinese OCR - A Chinese optical character recognition program that enables you to scan in any printed Chinese text and convert the resulting image file to a Chinese text file, which then can be read using Clavis Sinica. The combination of OCR software and Clavis Sinica allows you to read any Chinese printed document, including textbook readings, newspapers, magazines, fiction, scholarly articles,etc.
  • On-Line Chinese Tools - A comprehensive set of resources maintained by Erik Peterson on Chinese language and culture, including a variety of software tools for learning and using Chinese as well as Chinese reference sources and useful information on Chinese computing.

Chinese Language

  • The Chinese Language: Myths and Facts - A brief, very informative essay by Professor Timothy Light that sets out to correct a number of widely help misconceptions about the Chinese language. Topics include Chinese language groups, the origins and nature of the Chinese writing system, the structure of Chinese characters, Chinese romanization systems, and the relationship between Chinese language and thought.
  • Chinese Outpost: Demystifying the Chinese Language - This site, created by Mark Baker, provides an informative introduction to the principles behind Mandarin Chinese. It includes detailed, well-written sections Chinese character structure, pronunciation, and grammar. Anyone starting out with Chinese will find this site a very helpful overview of the language and how it is put together.
  • Chinese Language Information Page - A comprehensive navigational tool pointing you to Chinese language related resources, maintained by Carlos McEvilly. Includes links to sources of information on Chinese language courses, Chinese radio broadcasts, and reading Chinese on the web.
  • Marjorie Chan's China Links- Annotated links to over six hundred China and Chinese language and linguistics-related websites, including sources of Chinese texts, information on Chinese computing, and various Chinese language learning tools.
  • One-on-One Chinese Language Tutoring - ChineseTown offers one-on-one web-based private tutoring with specially trained Chinese language teachers. They offer customized course materials, flexible lesson schedules, and very affordable rates.
  • Chinese Language Courses - Customized Chinese language courses and communication training for business, government, and other organizations at locations across the globe.
  • Chinese to English Translation - Affordable translation service offered by a recent graduate in Chinese Language and Literature trained at the University of Iowa, George Washington University, and Peking University.

Chinese Culture

  • China the Beautiful - A comprehensive and very popular site featuring a wealth of resources on Classical Chinese Art, Calligraphy, Poetry, History, Literature, Painting and Philosophy
  • China Online - Maintained by Jun Shan, this site is an exhaustive resource featuring articles and links on dozens of topics having to do with Chinese culture, from arts and architecture to women and Zhong Kui. Includes very useful sections on Chinese language, literature, religion & philosophy, and news media.
  • Chinese Language and Culture Forums - A moderated chat and discussion forum for English speakers living, or thinking about living in Beijing or who just have an interest in Chinese language or culture. Postings are grouped under fourteen headings, including Reading and Writing Chinese, Textbooks and Resources, Universities and Schools, Chinese Chat, Chinese Music, Chinese History, and Chinese News and Current Events.
  • China Books and Periodicals - Terrific source for a wide variety of Chinese language dictionaries, literary works, and study materials, as well as books on Chinese medicine and travel and children's stories.
  • The China Beat: Blogging How the East is Read - Lively, informed discussion of media coverage of China from a variety of perspectives.

Other China-Related Links

If you have suggestions for additions to this page or would like to propose a link exchange, please contact info@clavisinica.com. Please note that we will only consider adding links that have some relevance to the content of this site.