comparison man/mule.texi @ 38685:3d0bec9036ac

Rewrite the description of the operation of Chinese input methods. From RMS.

38684:c85b8316bcae

marks; then, sequences of these which make up a whole syllable are
mapped into one syllable sign.

  Chinese and Japanese require more complex methods.  In Chinese input
methods, first you enter the phonetic spelling of a Chinese word (in
input method @code{chinese-py}, among others), or a sequence of portions
of the character (input methods @code{chinese-4corner} and
@code{chinese-sw}, and others).  Since one phonetic spelling typically
corresponds to many different Chinese characters, you must select one of
the alternatives using special Emacs commands.  Keys such as @kbd{C-f},
@kbd{C-b}, @kbd{C-n}, @kbd{C-p}, and digits have special definitions in
this situation, used for selecting among the alternatives.  @key{TAB}
displays a buffer showing all the possibilities; clicking @kbd{Mouse-2}
on one of the possible completions selects that alternative.
@code{C-@key{SPC}} selects the current alternative, while typing a
number @var{n} selects the @var{n}th column of the current row.

   In Japanese input methods, first you input a whole word using
phonetic spelling; then, after the word is in the buffer, Emacs converts
it into one or more characters using a large dictionary.  One phonetic
spelling corresponds to many differently written Japanese words, so you
must select one of them; use @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} to cycle through
the alternatives.

  Sometimes it is useful to cut off input method processing so that the
characters you have just entered will not combine with subsequent
characters.  For example, in input method @code{latin-1-postfix}, the

38685:3d0bec9036ac

marks; then, sequences of these which make up a whole syllable are
mapped into one syllable sign.

  Chinese and Japanese require more complex methods.  In Chinese input
methods, first you enter the phonetic spelling of a Chinese word (in
input method @code{chinese-py}, among others), or a sequence of
portions of the character (input methods @code{chinese-4corner} and
@code{chinese-sw}, and others).  One phonetic spelling typically
corresponds to many different Chinese characters.  You select the one
you mean using keys such as @kbd{C-f}, @kbd{C-b}, @kbd{C-n},
@kbd{C-p}, and digits, which have special meanings in this situation.

  The possible characters are conceptually arranged in several rows,
with each row holding up to 10 alternatives.  Normally, Emacs displays
just one row at a time, in the echo area; @code{(@var{i}/@var{j})}
appears at the beginning, to indicate that this is the @var{i}th row
out of a total of @var{j} rows.  Type @kbd{C-n} or @kbd{C-p} to
display the next row or the previous row.

    Type @kbd{C-f} and @kbd{C-b} to move forward and backward among
the alternatives in the current row.  As you do this, Emacs highlights
the current alternative with a special color; type @code{C-@key{SPC}}
to select the current alternative and use it as input.  The
alternatives in the row are also numbered; the number appears before
the alternative.  Typing a digit @var{n} selects the @var{n}th
alternative of the current row and uses it as input.

  @key{TAB} in these Chinese input methods displays a buffer showing
all the possible characters at once; then clicking @kbd{Mouse-2} on
one of them selects that alternative.  The keys @kbd{C-f}, @kbd{C-b},
@kbd{C-n}, @kbd{C-p}, and digits continue to work also.  When this
buffer is visible, @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} move the current
alternative to a different row.

  In Japanese input methods, first you input a whole word using
phonetic spelling; then, after the word is in the buffer, Emacs
converts it into one or more characters using a large dictionary.  One
phonetic spelling corresponds to a number of different Japanese words;
to select one of them, use @kbd{C-n} and @kbd{C-p} to cycle through
the alternatives.

  Sometimes it is useful to cut off input method processing so that the
characters you have just entered will not combine with subsequent
characters.  For example, in input method @code{latin-1-postfix}, the