Chinese mechanical typewriter

[Axtremus]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/nyregion/mingkwai-typewriter-china.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Yk8.erCr.ASI-r0OfVEOh

I didn't think one could exist, yet many apparently do. This article focuses on a specimen called the MingKwai. The inventor Lin Yutang figured out a way to mechanically use 72 keys to type out thousands of Chinese characters. (The biggest Chinese dictionary I am aware of catalogs 50k+ characters; most people believe that about 3k+ characters are enough for day-to-day use. So a typewriter would need to handle at least 3k+ characters to be practical.) The inventor bankrupted himself developing it after failing to sell it to Remington. It has recently been sold to Stanford's museum.

One of these days, I hope I will get to see and try my hands on a mechanical Chinese typewriter.

[Renauda]

Interesting. Like you I was led believe such was never practicable.

[Horace]

Alphabets are a good idea. China's technical debt for pursuing a bad idea continues to mount. Time to get cracking on developing a new language. It's not too late.

[jon-nyc]

This is interesting, and more than mildly so. Kudos on recognizing that and starting a thread about it.

[kluurs]

I've been a lifelong fan of Lin Yutang. He was also a student of religions. I first encountered him as the author of a book on Taoism. He did a nice job of explaining some of the challenges of translating early Chinese. There's a nice Wiki biography of him.

[Mik]

It's really more like heiroglyphics than an alphabet.

[taiwan_girl]

I didnt know this existed either. I remember hearing from older people, that they would have to change the character keys on a typewriter.

@mik Yes, it is more like heiroglyphics. I have a book that show how characters today developed from pictures.

[Axtremus]

YouTube video introducing/explaining the MingKwai typewriter.
The YouTube video predates the discovery of the real prototype, so it describes what the YouTuber and his team learnt and recreated using the patent record of the MingKwai typewriter.

Link to video

[Axtremus]

YouTube video showing the real prototype, but unfortunately not in action.

Link to video

[taiwan_girl]

interesting.