小词典

About 小词典

小词典 (xiǎo cídiǎn) are a few a small Chinese to English dictionary applications that are powered by CC-CEDICT. There are currently two versions of the dictionary application: the Desktop version and the iPhone™ / iPod™ touch version.

The dictionary applications are written by Rob Rohan; however, the CC-CEDICT dictionary itself is a community effort.  The dictionary currently has over 75,000 words and phrases. These applications allow you to search that dictionary using Mandarin Pinyin, English, or Simplified Characters.

Due to Apple’s AppStore policy, the iPhone / iPod Touch version of the dictionary has been discontinued. The application may still be available on the AppStore; however, there will be no more updates to the application. More Information

The desktop version, which integrates with the Mac OS X built-in dictionary, is a fantastic resource when reading Chinese on your Mac. Since 小词典 installs into the Mac OS X Leopard system wide dictionary, you have access to Chinese character definition throughout your whole system. From Safari™ to TextEdit™ to Pages™, you can control click (right click) on a character and choose “Lookup In Dictionary” to define the Chinese character or word. In addition, you can hover over a character use the hot key control+command+d to get an inline definition, and you can even use spotlight to define characters!

If you are studying Chinese and use a Mac with Mac OS X Leopard, 小词典 desktop is a great tool to add to your studying arsenal.