Cross-platform Python-based Mandarin Chinese dictionary and learning tool
This project has been "in progress" for a long time. Social isolation from coronavirus provided the push I needed to actually do it (in stages/steps) while finishing my PhD (or not really finishing according to other people).
The why? A few of my devices run Linux based operating systems. I tried finding a good Chinese-English-Chinese dictionary app but I didn't have much luck: some were not functional, some had broken dependencies. In addition, I didn't want to have a program for a dictionary, a program for flashcards (hello Anki), a program for other Chinese related annotation etc. So I decided to create, or to be more accurate, to start creating one myself. The other reasons for doing so were to practice Python, learn how to make GUIs, practice some machine learning and just have fun in general. To summarize the why: need better Chinese-learning tools and want to practice Python.
The how? Cross-platform Python based application that can run on Linux, Windows and Mac OS. Not focusing on mobile because the one I use on Android (and available on iOS as well), Pleco, is absolutely amazing.
The what? Well, the app. (trying to understand the difference between the how and what now). What would I want it to have? In the order of completion (supposedly):
- text dictionary search (I will use CC-CEDICT: will be able to search using Chinese characters (simplified and traditional), pinyin, english
- text segmentation (I find that one of the harder aspects of learning Chinese) (will use jieba)
- stroke order (illustration of the correct way to write the character)
- search by hand writing characters
- flash card system (store, revise, save, import/export)
- online version of it
- take photo of Chinese text and recognise the characters inside (been doing a lot of reading on Chinese OCR, will paste links and resources into the research folder of the project)
- more features related to the studying of the language:
- find related compound words/expressions that use the character(s) that is(are) searched for
- group characters based on radical
- etc. (more will be added as the work progresses)
The work is "released" (can I use that word if there is nothing concrete yet?) under an MIT license.