- published: 18 Nov 2012
- views: 28023
Zhuyin fuhao (simplified Chinese: 注音符号; traditional Chinese: 注音符號; pinyin: Zhùyīn fúhào; Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄓㄨˋ ㄧㄣ ㄈㄨˊ ㄏㄠˋ; literally "phonetic symbol"), often abbreviated as zhuyin and colloquially called bopomofo, is a phonetic system for transcribing Chinese, especially Mandarin. It was introduced in the 1910s.
Consisting of 37 characters and four tone marks, it transcribes all possible sounds in Mandarin. Although phased out in Mainland China in the 1950s, this system is still widely used as an educational tool and Chinese computer input method in Taiwan.
Zhuyin is often called bopomofo which is derived from the names of the first four characters of the system (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ) and occasionally used to refer to pinyin in mainland China. In official documents, it is occasionally called the "Mandarin Phonetic Symbols I" (國語注音符號第一式), abbreviated as the "MPS I" (注音一式).
In English translations, the system is often called either Chu-yin or the Mandarin Phonetic Symbols. A romanized version of bopomofo, released in 1984, is called MPS II.
In the forest, in the snow
All those many years ago
Hailstones and epitaphs
All these body bags and half-mast flags
In the cemetery where they fell
All those many years ago
Now it's just a memory
Eroded by the years.
Forgotten heroes underground
Wrinkled faces gathered round
Hailstones and epitaphs
Roses on a barbwire fence
Winter landscape, never change,
Oh it must have been the same
In the forest, in the snow
All those many years ago
Remembrance Day
All they have is memories
Photographs in silver frames
Remembrance Day
Lost forever in a field,
In a foreign land, many miles away.
In the forest, in the snow
All those many years ago.
Bombs and victims blown sky high
Buried where they lie
A generation underground
Wrinkled faces gathered round
Won't ever bring them back
Never bring them back
Remembrance Day