This is a feature request. Can there be a keyboard shortcut to reveal the pinyin, so I don't have to use my mouse to click on it?

(If this is too complicated, I'll live.)

Thanks!

Alex

This would be pretty useful for me too.

I've got this request on my list for when I add new keyboard shortcuts. Given the pace of shortcut additions and the size of the keyboard, we have to be careful, so we're waiting to do a batch of them that will make sense.

Personally I'd rather this didn't exist as I'm trying to discourage myself from checking the pinyin. Anything that makes it easier is going to make it more habitual.

For improving active vocabulary I think it's good to try and do it without showing pinyin, but I always find myself carelessly checking it.

I don't understand how people can do writing practice with hidden pinyin. I have something like 10 different words that all mean "to implement", so I can only distinguish them by their pinyin.

I check the pinyin when I need to, but I always try to get the word without checking pinyin first.

James, can you distinguish the meanings and usage of all the similar words, even when you see the pinyin?

With notes, an example sentence and a picture in the definition, it's a lot easier to know what Skritter is asking me for. I still need to be clear about the distinctions in the first place though, otherwise I'll get all jumbled, and rather than remember 3 of 3 similar words, I remember 1 or none of the 3. Also, I wouldn't be able to put good distinguishing notes in the definition if I didn't fully understand them.

(And if something is basically identical, then I'd just write the other word in to the definition too).

The way I currently deal with this is, when I get a prompt that has several possible answers -- such as "to earn" -- I will say all the possible combinations out loud （using 赚 or 挣).

Then I have to reveal the pinyin to see what I'm supposed to write. The click with the mouse to reveal is just half a second too much for a lazy lazy person like me. But like I said, I'll live.

@Byzanti No, not at all. I would love to find a good reference for distinguishing words with very similar meanings. I asked pts a while ago and even he couldn't tell me where to find one.

As for putting disambiguating information into the prompt, the pinyin already allows me to disambiguate. At some point I'd like to settle on one set of example sentences, study them in Anki, and use their clozes as the cues, but that's a big project and not one I am eager to start.

James