Radiolab The Wubi Effect
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Nov 7, 2025 
In this fascinating discussion, Tom Mullaney, a Chinese history professor at Stanford, and Wang Yongmin, the inventor of the Wubi input method, dive into the challenges and innovations of typing Chinese characters. They explore the technical hurdles early computers faced and the cultural implications of preserving the Chinese writing system. Wang shares his groundbreaking method of breaking characters into components for easier input, while also critiquing the widespread adoption of phonetic systems like Pinyin. Their insights illuminate the intersection of technology, language, and identity in modern China.
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First Glimpse That Sparked Wubi
- Wang Yongmin recalled seeing his first Western computer and wondering how to fit 70,000 Chinese characters on a keyboard.
- That moment set him on a mission that ultimately produced the Wubi input method.
Character-Based Writing vs. Early Computers
- Chinese writing uses tens of thousands of distinct visual characters rather than an alphabet of sounds.
- 1970s computers lacked memory and printer resolution to store or render those characters directly.
The Two-Lever Typewriter
- Early Chinese character typewriters worked without a keyboard using a tray of metal characters and two levers.
- They typed slower than QWERTY but preserved characters and demonstrated technology could adapt to language.